Miners Protest Over High Royalty Charges In Nandyal

They recently staged a protest on the national highway, which was called off after minister BC Janardhan Reddy assured them that their concerns would be referred to the chief minister and resolved. Last year too, miners stopped operations in protest against the hike in royalty charges.

The district has more than 200 mines. Owners say they face difficulties due to the hike in royalty rates during the YSR Congress rule. Around 10,000 people in the district depend on black stone mining for their livelihood.

Local miners say the government has fixed a uniform royalty rate for all minerals, even though black stone is a minor mineral. The high rates are unaffordable and have forced them to halt operations until the charges are revised, they say.
Nandyal district is rich in natural resources such as limestone, barite, iron ore, quartz, silica sand and granite. The mines department’s records show 19 limestone mines, 66 black limestone mines, and six metal quarry leases under its limits, covering about 13,000 acres. There are also 80 large and 200 small mines under the Banaganapalle mines office.

Miners explained that during the previous government’s term, the royalty rate per metric tonne was raised from Rs 130 to Rs 250, badly affecting the minor mineral industry. The situation worsened as blackstone from Gujarat began flooding the market, further reducing their profits.

Minister Janardhan Reddy had earlier consoled the protesters and took them to Minister Kollu Ravindra for discussions, but the issue remained unresolved.

Recently, the alliance government invited fresh tenders and handed over royalty collection to a private company, Sudhakar Infra, which is now authorised to collect charges from miners.

Miners allege that the new agency is imposing high rates, prompting another round of protests on the highway. They sought the government’s intervention and immediate relief.

Following this, minister Janardhan Reddy again assured the miners that he would take up the matter with the CM. As a temporary measure, an internal understanding was reached, under which the new agency would collect royalty only once per vehicle per day until the issue is settled. The agency reportedly agreed to this arrangement.

Many miners, however, remain dissatisfied. “Even though the minister intervened last year, there has been no resolution. We are tired of repeated meetings and promises that lead us nowhere. We may have to stop mining completely or launch a continuous protest until our issues are resolved,” said a miner.