TN construction body urges state to regulate bldg material prices

The Tamil Nadu All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) Construction Workers Association wrote to the Chief Minister, M K Stalin, requesting him to find a way to regulate the prices of construction materials such as cement, M-Sand, and sand. They mentioned that the increasing prices have made it difficult for the small-time contractors and builders to complete the projects, leaving a lot of construction workers out of jobs. They also urged the State Government to bring the cement prices on par with the prices in other states. The association told the media that the prices of all raw construction materials had increased post the state assembly election. They said that the price of a sack of cement increased by 54%, from Rs 370-Rs 570, while the price of a unit of M-sand went up to Rs 6,000 from Rs 5,000 and that of sand from Rs 6,000-Rs 8,000. AITUC also said that the cost of 3,000 crushed stones has gone up to Rs 27,000 from Rs 23,000, while a one-tonne steel road became costlier by Rs 14,000 from Rs 58,000-Rs 72,000. The letter read that this impacted the commoner's affordability to build a house, a builder's ability to complete existing construction projects, the government's ability to carry out all its construction works, and the small-time contractors' ability to take up projects and execute them successfully. As a result, construction workers are out of jobs. The association requested the state government to approach the Cement Manufacturers Association to fix a uniform price in every state. Image Source Also read: Falling demand to control soaring steel prices Also read: Rising steel, cement prices to impact real estate