Quarry strike against royalty system may hit construction work

License fees are currently collected from quarry owners or lease holders for minor mineral extraction. | Photo credit: File photo

The Karnataka State Federation of Stone Mine Owners and Stone Crushers has decided to shut down stone quarries, jelly crushers and M-Sand units across Karnataka from September 18, opposing the collection of royalty in two phases.

Federation president D. Siddaraju told a press conference that the protest would continue until the license fee system was fixed.

“Supply of M-Sand jelly and sand required for construction activities will be stopped. We will also take steps at check posts to prevent non-state minerals from entering Karnataka. It is unfair to collect royalty again from mine lessees when the royalty has already been paid. We are against any move that imposes additional financial burden on the stone mining industry,” Mr. Siddaraju said.

He explained that at present, license fees are collected from quarry owners or lessors for the extraction of minor minerals. Royalty is also deducted at the stage of utilization of the same mineral material in works carried out by various government departments, he said.

“Government should issue a White Paper on the total amount of royalties collected so far in the stone mining industry,” he demanded. He also said that the changes made in the Karnataka Mineral Concession Rules, 1994 needed to be comprehensively reviewed.

Published – 17 Sep 2026 23:26 IST