Construction and real estate industry coalition protest due to the rise in cement prices.
The members of the construction industry staged a protest in Chennai against the rising cement prices even though there was no real estate work due to the pandemic. The protest was held outside the house of a cement manufacturer at Boat Club in Chennai.
According to the South Indian Cement Manufacturers Association, the construction industry was going through some tough times after the second wave of Covid-19, and the prices of the cement were skyrocketing.
S Yuvaraj, the secretary of the coalition said that a cement bag of 50 kgs was sold at Rs 350 in Delhi and Rs. 370 in Andhra Pradesh. Whereas, in Tamil Nadu, the same construction material was sold at Rs. 520. This according to the protestants was the highest in the country and was affecting all the sections of the construction industry.
Many protesting workers stated that selling the cement bags at such high prices was not needed as they didn’t have any real estate construction work.
The association said that due to the pandemic, the cement industry was going through tough times like all other industries and was operating at 30-40% capacity. They also stated that in order to sustain their own survival, the price hike was long due. They further clarified by saying that the cement price is only a small essential of the total construction cost endured.
After the appeal made by the Industries Minister, Thangam Thennarasu, the construction industry assured that the cement prices would be reduced and the cement would be made available at a much reasonable price.
The association further added that they are working closely with the government of Tamil Nadu in making the prices acceptable and want to assure the citizens and the government of Tamil Nadu that they will remain supportive of every single initiative of the government.
The Minister for Public Works, E V Velu mentioned that after the discussion with the senior officials, the issue related to the hike in prices of construction materials and logistics would be taken to the CM’s notice. He also ensured that the public work undertaken would be completed in a transparent manner.
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