Ahmedabad: Quarry operators across Gujarat ended their strike on Thursday after the state government promised to address their concerns. The Quarry Association confirmed that operations resumed the same day, with supply expected to normalize soon. However, the real estate sector reported significant losses, with many construction projects likely to miss deadlines ahead of Diwali.

Raman Patel, vice president of the Gujarat Black Stone Quarry Association, stated that the issue of environmental clearance was resolved with the government, and progress was made on stock registration concerns.

The strike, which began on October 2, involved more than 2,000 quarry operators. Their demands included granting leases for private land, implementing a system to measure mines, adjusting royalty rates, and promoting the use of quarry dust as a substitute for sand in construction projects.

Rajesh Vaswani, director of CREDAI Gujarat, mentioned that while the strike’s end is welcome news, many laborers have already left due to the two-week disruption, causing delays in project timelines. A leading developer added that foundation and structural works were hit hard, with Ready Mix Concrete (RMC) plants shut down. Full recovery for the construction industry is expected only after Diwali, as labor shortages slow the pace of work. DeshGujrat