Talk with Tamil Nadu government, resolve issue soon

Kerala's construction sector was booming. The state is topping the charts in India for large-scale construction of residential buildings. In general, in other states, large houses are mostly seen in cities and towns. In Kerala, however, there is no difference between urban and rural areas. This suggests that even a small change in the construction sector crisis significantly affects Kerala. The fact that many migrant workers have not returned after going to their states during the election season has significantly affected the progress of flat construction, commercial and industrial buildings, national highway construction, bridges, etc. in Kerala. The matter is yet to be resolved.

Meanwhile, the steep rise in prices of some construction materials has put the state's construction sector in a muddle. This has adversely affected the income of thousands of workers and the families of large and small traders. One of the main reasons for the current crisis is the ban imposed by Tamil Nadu on the supply of materials like sand, metal, and rock. The ban, which began at the end of July, is still ongoing. With this, the supply of construction materials like bricks, rock, and M sand has almost come to a standstill. Along with this, the price of cement from various companies also increased by Rs 10 to 15 per bag in the last week, reaching Rs 480 per bag.

The price of one kg of TMT wire increased to Rs 85. A load of M sand is charged from Rs 5400 to Rs 5700. The price of a load of rock increased from Rs 4000 to Rs 4500. The price of metal has increased from Rs 4700 to Rs 5200. The price of a cement block has also increased from Rs 36 to Rs 40. Red stone is not available. Due to the high price and scarcity of materials, construction is being halted at many places. The district authorities have denied passes for lorries bringing rocks and other materials from Kanyakumari district. Although lorry owners and workers in Kerala are protesting this, the ban has not been relaxed. The ban was imposed on the grounds of recurring accidents involving tipper lorries.

If the Kerala government does not take this issue seriously and resolve it through discussions with the Tamil Nadu government, the construction sector will come to a standstill. Similarly, measures are needed to urgently accelerate the extraction of sand from the rivers of Kerala to solve the sand shortage. The increase in transportation costs due to the spike in fuel prices is another worry. Government intervention is essential to ensure the availability of construction materials and also to strengthen the price monitoring system. The construction sector is a performing one in Kerala, and anything that stymies its growth will invariably affect Kerala too. Therefore, the government must intervene at the earliest and revive the construction sector.