ONGOLE: The Chimakurthy-based Granite Factory Owners Association (GFOA) has decided to allow factories to resume operations temporarily from Wednesday.
The decision followed a meeting between the granite industrialists and ruling party legislators—SN Padu MLA BN Vijay Kumar and Markapur MLA K Narayana Reddy—held recently in Chimakurthy.
After detailed discussions, the leaders assured that they would take the issue to the government and hold talks with representatives of AMR Company, the agency appointed to collect the enhanced Mineral Dealer Licence (MDL) fee and other seigniorage and royalty charges.
Following the assurance, the GFOA agreed to withdraw the “granite factories bandh” temporarily.
However, the association criticised the government’s “wait-and-see” approach and inaction in resolving the fee issue.
“The association has withdrawn the bandh call temporarily based on the assurances of both SN Padu and Markapur MLAs,” said GFOA President Y Srinivasa Rao.
“But around 70–80% of out-of-state technicians and labourers from Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar and Rajasthan have returned home since the factories were closed from October 1. They had no work for the last two weeks,” he added.
Rao said about 10–15% of the total 800 granite factories in Chimakurthy, Budawada, RL Puram, Bucchi and Kambhampadu areas have resumed operations, while 80–85% remain shut due to a shortage of skilled labour.
The GFOA President urged the government and the AMR agency to reconsider the steep increase in the MDL fee and alleged that AMR representatives were demanding unaccounted money from factories.
“This issue should be settled first,” he added.