[1] After the advent of quick lime from limestone and the arrival of cement as mortar ingredient, the Chunaru struggled to make a living of their traditional vocation and gradually dwindled in numbers.
According to Maniklal Sinha,[2][3] there are only about two to three hundred Chunaru families in West Bengal today.
According to Santosh Kumar Kundu, the Chunarus were probably counted within the Shankhakars.
He also believes that the Chunaru are neither counted as a Scheduled Caste or as an Other Backward Class probably because their numbers are very small.
[1] The shells are first burnt in earthen ovens and then watered to prepare the slaked lime.