Delivery of construction material hit due to night curfew in Chennai

The delivery of construction materials to building sites has been hindered by night curfews that have been imposed in Chennai to control the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the country. Trucks ferrying construction materials to the various building sites are able to operate only for two hours in 24 hours—the movement of heavy vehicles is already prohibited between 6 am and 10 pm within the city limits, and the new restrictions in view of the second wave of Covid-19 take effect from 10 pm to 4 am. This may have an adverse impact on construction work slowing down. Most of the vehicles carrying material, including msand, steel bars and hollow blocks, are parked on the city's outskirts during the night curfew till 4 am. The heavy vehicles rush to the building sites to deliver construction material within two hours and leave the city limits before 6 am. Approximately 1,500 lorries are engaged in ferrying construction material in Chennai. State secretary of Builders Association of India S Ramaprabhu told the media that 70%- 80% of all construction material is delivered during the night as heavy vehicles are permitted to operate only during the night hours within the city limits. Tamil Nadu State Sand Lorry Owner's Federation president S Yuvaraj said that the development would affect the construction work across the city. In the place of multiple loads, trucks are able to deliver only one load in two hours, said Yuvaraj. The federation has taken up the issue with the state government on Friday, urging the state government to exempt lorries ferrying construction materials from the curfew at night. S Sridharan, chairman of urban development and affordable housing committee of the developers' body CREDAI National, said that there would be a slight delay in the construction phases due to accessing building material. Image Source Also Read: Lockdown impact: CREDAI Pune writes to Maha govt. Also Read: Covid-19 second wave: Corporate firms in Gujarat shut headquarters