KARIMNAGAR: In view of the demand for granite crashing in the international market, those in granite business in the district are shifting to allied businesses like cutting and polishing the granite stone for a secure future. In the last four years, quite a number of such units have come up on the Karimnagar-Vemulawada road.
According to District Industries Centre officials, about 60 cutting and polishing units have come up in the area and the number might go up to 200 because aspirants are approaching the DIC to establish granite polishing units.
Reasons for the spurt in polishing units is availability of raw material and negligible transportation charges since they are located near the granite quarries. “We are exporting polished granite to Delhi, Mumbai and Rajasthan,’’ said Bhasker of Seethal Granite Polishing Unit.
The granite business came down by 50 percent in 2010-11. About 3.25 lakh cubic metres of granite of various varieties was exported and a revenue of Rs 81 crore earned as royalty. But, during the current financial year of 2011-12, only 1.50 lakh cubic metres of the stone has been exported so far. Most of the buyers of Karimnagar granite are from China and their buying has come down, according to assistant director of mines and geology T Laxman Babu.