Operators running ready mix concrete, or RMC, plants in Gurugram have now thrown down a direct challenge to the administration and the pollution department. Gathering in large numbers, these plant operators submitted a memorandum to the District Deputy Commissioner and declared that they would go on an indefinite strike in support of their demands.
These businessmen allege that the administration and the pollution department are coming down on them without justification, and what surprises them is that Gurugram and Faridabad enforce different rules for the very same industry. There are fears that the strike could bring several ongoing government and private construction projects in the city to a halt. The Municipal Corporation, the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority and development works worth several hundred crore rupees could all be caught in the impact of this strike.
In fact, the owners and operators of more than 100 RMC plants running across the Gurugram and Manesar region turned out in large numbers. They make it clear that, given the conditions prevailing at present, keeping these plants running is becoming harder by the day.
According to the RMC plant operators, several units have recently been hit with penalties running into crores of rupees as part of a crackdown. They claim that fines of around 25 crore rupees were imposed in the past few days. The operators also raised the question of why, when both Gurugram and Faridabad are districts of Haryana, different rules are being applied to the same industry. They have demanded that a uniform policy be put in place on this issue.
Plant operator Sunil Jindal says the administration expects them to meet the CLU condition even on rented land, whereas as tenants it is practically impossible for them to do so. The operators have made it plain that their strike will continue until a positive decision is taken on their demands. All eyes are now on whether talks between the administration and the operators yield a solution, or whether the impact on the city's development works deepens further.
