Birbhum recorded more than Rs 3.44 crore in revenue from stone-related DCR collections on October 11, exceeding the district’s entire collection under this head during October last year, according to figures published by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. The collection has put the district on course to cross the state government’s Rs 100 crore target for the current month.
The figures shared by the chief minister show that Birbhum collected Rs 3,44,11,410 from stone DCR on October 11. In comparison, the district had collected approximately Rs 3.28 crore from the same source during the whole of October last year. The latest one-day collection was therefore higher than the previous year’s monthly total, according to the report by Sangbad Pratidin.
Between October 1 and October 11 this year, total collections from the stone sector stood at Rs 32,17,38,595.20. During that period, authorities generated 41,333 receipts. Collections were Rs 2,30,65,020 on October 10 and Rs 3,23,23,500 on October 8, indicating that the reported increase was spread across several high-collection days rather than being limited to October 11.
The chief minister credited the district administration and the land department for the reported performance and expressed hope that monthly collections would cross Rs 100 crore. If achieved, that figure would represent a significant increase over the collections cited for October last year, although the supplied report does not provide a complete comparison of production volumes, stone dispatches, royalty rates or the number of operating leases.
The report presents the rise as evidence of tighter action against revenue leakage after the change in government. It also carries allegations made by BJP leaders that, during the previous administration, less than 10 per cent of the amount due reached the state treasury. Those allegations are not independently established in the supplied material. The report further says that several associates of businessman Tulu Mondal were arrested and that district authorities acted against alleged illegal activity, but it does not provide details of the cases, charges or court proceedings.
The revenue figures matter to the built environment because stone is a key input for construction and infrastructure activity, while DCR collections form part of the administrative system through which the state records and charges for extraction or movement. Higher receipts may reflect stronger enforcement, increased activity, changes in collection procedures, or a combination of these factors. The available figures do not establish which factor contributed most to the increase.
The next administrative test will be whether the pace recorded during the first 11 days continues through the rest of October. The state government’s stated benchmark is collection of more than Rs 100 crore from stone revenue during the month, while the district’s reported receipts up to October 11 stood at just over Rs 32.17 crore.
