
The Baramulla Contractors Association has announced a boycott of tendering until sand, bajri and gravel become available, threatening delays to development projects in the district. The shortage follows a dispute between authorities…
The Baramulla Contractors Association has announced a boycott of tendering until sand, bajri and gravel become available, threatening delays to development projects in the district. The shortage follows a dispute between authorities and quarry and tipper owners over royalty payments on minor minerals.

Protests by quarry owners and tipper operators have disrupted extraction and transport, leaving contractors unable to bid for works during a limited construction season. Association chairman Bashir Ahmad Sheikh said only about two months remained for completing several projects and warned that contractors could face blacklisting if work was delayed. Baramulla MLA Javed Hassan Baig also raised concern. Quarry owners, transporters, labourers and other workers dependent on the supply chain have been left without work. Contractors and suppliers have urged authorities to resolve the dispute and restore material supplies.
Royalty on minor minerals is tied to legal extraction and transport, so a resolution needs coordination between the authority collecting the payment and the agencies permitting quarrying and movement. For public works, contractors generally carry delivery and completion obligations even when inputs become unavailable, which explains their reluctance to submit bids without supply assurance. The practical test will be whether authorities issue a clear royalty arrangement and restore regular material movement before the remaining construction window closes.
Source: greaterkashmir.com
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