Assam govt fails to regulate price of stone chips and sand

27 Jul 2021 CW Team

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.

Image Source

Also read: TN construction body urges state to regulate bldg material prices

Infrastructure Transport

03 Apr 2026

Railways Sets New Records In Passenger And Freight

Indian Railways reported record performance in 2025–26, registering gains in both passenger operations and freight. Passenger carriage rose to 7,410 mn in the year, an increase of 3.54 per cent over 7,160 mn in 2024–25, while passenger revenue increased to Rs 800 bn, up 5.96 per cent from Rs 755 bn. These outcomes reflect improvements in operational efficiency and growing reliance on rail transport for mobility and commerce. Freight loading reached 1,670 mn t in 2025–26, a rise of 3.25 per cent year on year, driven by higher bulk movements and improved logistics. The number of wagons han..

NHAI Reports Robust National Highway Growth in FY 2025-26

The National Highways Authority of India reported continued progress in national highway development during the financial year 2025-26, completing 5,313 km of national highways, which was about 15 per cent higher than the target of 4,640 km for the year. The agency said the construction output reflected sustained project execution across regions and phases. The achievement follows policy priorities to expand connectivity and reduce travel times. The work included upgrades and new corridors intended to improve safety and reduce congestion on key routes. Capital expenditure by the authority for ..

India SDG Dashboard Launched by Ministry of Statistics

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has developed the India Sustainable Development Goals Dashboard in partnership with the United Nations Resident Coordinator Office (UNRCO). The dashboard serves as a centralised data platform for monitoring SDG indicators aligned with the National Indicator Framework (NIF). It provides consolidated access to indicator data to support evidence based planning and monitoring. The platform aims to streamline indicator tracking and support evidence based decision making across levels of government. MoSPI regularly releases a range of s..