Professional Documents
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allow widening such road due to the reasons of Increase of traffic of this
type of road causes people unexpected troubles. Therefore Protests can
be expected and additional road maintenance costs can be incurred
during the process.
On the other hand, large amount of suitable rock sources without above mention
restrictions are available in the areas where the plantation companies of Sri Lanka
operate. Since they are not interested in entering aggregates and mining industry
most important and profitable business aspect is still not utilized. If they are
interested, they may be among the top in this industry. The reasons can be listed
as,
1. They have their own mother rocks.
2. These areas are almost isolated. No residence available in 500m-1000m
radius.
3. Major roads pass through or very close to any plantation
4. Fairly close distance to major city or town (within 20-30 km)
5. Estate roads easily develop as the access road to the quarry and crusher
location
Hence, proper comprehension of the pros over the cons can pave the route to a
very successful and lucrative line of business in mining industry. Since, this is not
currently practiced noticeably in Sri Lankan context; it appears to be a viable option
for the companies operating in plantation industry. Labour workforce will not be an
issue in such areas due to the abundance of the heavy man power.
Expansion of the readily available estate roads would provide the access to the
quarry site. Development of the estate road network can be implemented as a part
of the CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) projects and the access roads will be
developed in the process with the complete consent and cooperation of the nearby
residents.
Transportation cost is considered to be one of the most critical factors out of all as it
holds a substantial amount in the overall cost per cube. Provided that the plantation
estate is located close to major cities, the so called critical factor can be reduced in
considerable proportions and that will create a competitive advantage over the
others.
Moreover, the implementation of the rehabilitation program after the Quarry lifetime
would be much easier in a plantation area as well. Conversion of the aggregate
mined area into a reservoir would be an ideal solution to a plantation area provided
that the conditions are favorable.