Stone supply disruption hits Tripura, crusher units lying idle

The movement of stone into Tripura has remained disrupted for nearly three months, affecting crusher units, transport operators and workers in the larger Dharmanagar subdivision of North Tripura, stone traders and other stakeholders associated with the business said.

The prolonged disruption has also affected the supply of construction material, with merchants claiming that several development and construction works are being impacted by the shortage.

More than 100 small and large crusher units across the subdivision are reportedly facing difficulties due to the disruption in stone supplies. Thousands of workers, drivers and people associated with the transport trade have also been affected.

A meeting of stone traders, representatives of workers’ organisations, vehicle owners and drivers and crusher owners was held on Sunday at the residence of Tripura Boulder Merchant Association president Milan Debnath.

Participants alleged that vehicles carrying underloaded stones from Meghalaya with valid documents were being stopped at Digarkhal, an entry point in the Barak Valley. They sought clarification on why vehicles with valid documents were being detained.

A number of families in the Churaibari area depend on the stone trade for their livelihood. Several people have purchased vehicles through bank loans or installments to transport boulders from Meghalaya and sell them in Churaibari.

The prolonged disruption has affected their income, with some vehicle owners allegedly facing difficulty in paying installments. Some finance companies have reportedly seized the vehicles over unpaid installments, they claimed.

Traders also alleged that transporters bringing river stones from Assam were facing difficulties at the Churaibari MVI gate. They said river stones carry additional water during the monsoon, increasing the weight of loaded vehicles. Vehicles have been fined up to around Rs 22,000 over the additional weight, they added.

The traders said their profit from selling a vehicle-load of stones is only around Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500.

The meeting called for intervention by the Tripura and Assam governments to resolve the difficulties at Digarkhal and restore the movement of stone-carrying vehicles with valid documents.

The participants of the meeting urged the Tripura government to take up the matter with its Assam counterpart.

Those present in the meeting included Milan Debnath, Abdul Hasim Talukdar, Rupak Debnath, Chhayab Ali Laskar, Raja Dhar, Selim Mia, Iqbal Hossain, Biswajit Ghosh and Sujel Ahmed, among others.