DC sets up committee to fix rates of sand, gravel

Shyam Sood

Rajouri, April 21

With consumers in Rajouri district alleging high rates of raw material for construction, the Deputy Commissioner has constituted a committee to fix the rates of sand and bajri (gravel).

The decision of the Deputy Commissioner MA Asad came after consumers in the district alleged fleecing by contractors and stone crusher owners for buying this raw material.

However, president of the contractors’ association Ashfaq Ahmed said one of the reasons for the high rates was that stone crushers were passing on the cost of royalty on the raw material to contractors and consumers instead of paying it themselves.

“As the extraction of mineral is done after an open auction, a Jammu-based contractor has been charging royalty at his own wish, ranging between Rs 500 to Rs 1000 per 200 sq feet sand and bajri,” said a contractor.

After many such complaints from the consumers and contractors, the Deputy Commissioner recently held a meeting with the members of various associations. The meeting was also attended by Additional DC Sher Singh; Divisional Officer, Pollution Control Board; XEN, PWD; Assistant Director, food & civil supplies; Rameshwar Singh, president, Stone Crushers’ Association and other concerned.

After threadbare discussions pertaining to the running of stone crushers, availability of raw material and royalty issues, the DC constituted a committee to fix the rates for sand and bajri.

The committee will be headed by headed by Sher Singh and will be assisted by the District Mineral Officer, Superintending Engineer of the PWD, Assistant Controller in the legal meteorology department and Assistant Director of the food and civil supplies.

Directing the District Mineral Officer to collect the current rate list for sand and bajri, the DC assured members of the associations to resolve the royalty issue.

“The regulation of the rates is essential for public interest and there should be no undue burden on the consumers,” Asad said. He directed the presidents of the contractors’ and stone crushers’ associations to follow the norms of air and noise pollution and to avoid unprofessional and unregulated mining.