Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday praised the Birbhum district administration for recording an unprecedented revenue collection of ₹3.44 crore from the district’s stone belt in a single day.
He said the revenue collected on October 11 was ₹3.44 crore, while the entire month of October last year under the Trinamool Congress regime generated only ₹3.28 crore.
“Today, I would like to share a remarkable achievement of the Birbhum district administration with the people of West Bengal. Yesterday, on the very first day of Navratri, a record revenue of ₹3.44 crore was collected from stone DCRs (duplicate challan receipts), the highest-ever collection in a single day,” Suvendu wrote on his social media handles on Monday morning.
The chief minister once again hailed the collection while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event in Calcutta.
“Last year, under the previous government, the total collection under this head for the entire month of October was just ₹3.28 crore,” he added.
He also posted detailed data on revenue collection over the first 11 days of October. During this period, the Birbhum district administration collected ₹32.17 crore.
“I am confident that we will surpass our monthly target of collecting ₹100 crore in revenue from the stone sector,” Suvendu said.
Birbhum is a major source of blackstone, with dozens of large stone mines and hundreds of stone-crushing units spread across five blocks in the district. Traditionally, high-quality stones required for high-rise buildings and large-scale construction projects are sourced from Birbhum. Stone mines and crushing units in the district span at least five blocks — Mohammedbazar, Mayureshwar, Rampurhat, Nalhati and Murarai.
During the Trinamool regime, the BJP repeatedly alleged that a “government-sponsored” racket siphoned off large sums of government revenue. The BJP claimed revenue worth ₹10,000 crore had been siphoned off through the racket during the Trinamool’s 15-year rule.
The racket, allegedly led by the “stone-sand mafia” figure Tulu Mondal, came under scrutiny after police recovered ₹28.5 lakh in cash and a gold bar from the house of one of his aides in Mohammedbazar.
During the investigation, police arrested several people, including land department employees and a former block land and land reforms officer who had served in the district during that period. However, Tulu is yet to be arrested and has reportedly fled abroad.
Multiple sources said that after the BJP government came to power, Suvendu introduced a new revenue collection system involving multiple government departments to prevent revenue leaks.
A source said private players, allegedly led by Tulu and his associates, had earlier controlled toll and revenue collection points. During that period, it was alleged that lakhs of fake DCRs were printed to siphon off government revenue. During the investigation into the alleged racket, the police seized a printing unit and fake DCRs from a hideout in Suri.
BJP leaders believe that as the investigation into the stone revenue scam gains momentum, several influential figures from the former regime could come under the scanner, with evidence potentially emerging of illegally siphoning revenue from Birbhum’s mineral resources.
Officials said monthly revenue collection could reach at least ₹100 crore because leakages have been reduced to almost zero. The chief minister has been keeping a close watch on the district administration’s daily revenue collection reports.
“There will be ₹1,200–1,500 crore in revenue in a financial year, instead of just ₹300–500 crore during the TMC regime,” an official said.
The government is also planning to streamline the stone chips trade to ensure maximum possible revenue reaches the state exchequer.
“I extend my heartfelt thanks to the Birbhum district administration and the Land and Land Reforms Department for this achievement in preventing revenue evasion and increasing government revenue. Transparent administration and discipline in revenue collection — that is our commitment,” Suvendu wrote on Facebook and X.