1600 mines, quarry workers on strike over unresolved issues with Gujarat govt

More than 1,600 Quarries and Mines in Gujarat have gone on an indefinite strike due to unresolved issues with the government for years now.

In Vadodara district, all quarries in Desar and Savli talukas have been shut down, causing thousands of dump trucks to come to a halt, leaving the roads from Udalpur to Vadodara deserted. 

According to the decision taken at a meeting of the Gujarat Black Stone Quarry Association held in Devbhoomi Dwarka, more than 1600 quarry operators in the state have gone on strike. All quarry operations were halted from late at night on October 1.

The strike was held to protest the shut down of quarries shut down by the state government, and other unresolved questions of the association. 

In central Gujarat, 125 quarries and 250 mines in Kheda, Panchmahal, and Vadodara districts have also joined the strike, keeping all quarries completely shut. In Desar taluka, 75 quarries in villages like Udalpur, Rajnagar, Tulsigam, Vejpur, Varsada, Jambugoral, and Gothda have also joined the strike. 

With the quarries closed, thousands of dump trucks that operate day and night have come to a standstill, leaving the roads from Udalpur to Savli and Vadodara, and Udalpur to Nadiad deserted.

The livelihoods of approximately 10,000 workers dependent on the quarries are also being affected. In the three districts of central Gujarat, more than 10,000 laborers working in the quarries are directly impacted. These daily wage workers are now worried about how they will sustain their households.

Additionally, the closure of thousands of dump trucks on the roads will also affect the small roadside hotels and tea stalls run by these laborers, impacting their daily earnings.

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