The Assam government has failed to resolve the issue of alarming scarcity of forest products as costs of stone chips and sand in the city are rising with every passing year.

There has been a 30% rise in the costs of stone chips and sand in Guwahati every year, which is anticipated to rise further as the State government has not been able to solve the issue yet.

According to the source, Assam Forest Department said that it will take some time before construction materials like stone chips, sand, and filling earth are available, due to which construction materials are not easily available in Guwahati, adding that costs will keep increasing until then.

According to the source, in 1977, permission for extracting sand and stone chips in the region was controlled under Assam Coups & Mahal Rules, 1977.

In 1994, the Assam Minor Mineral Concession Rules came into force according to which only minor minerals could be obtained, after receiving proper permissions from the State government.

Permission for extracting minor minerals could be given only through a competitive bidding process, as per a judgment of the Supreme Court (SC) of India in 2012.

According to the Assam Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 2013, a permit could be given only for two years and mostly availed by State government departments for their construction activities officially.

Guwahati is dependent on Meghalaya for stone chips at present. The real estate industry in Assam is suffering a distressing situation due to the severe scarcity and unabated cost increase of sand and stone chips which are the basic ingredients of concrete mortar.

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