Construction activity has come to a standstill in the State with acute shortage of sand and escalation in its price.
Though the State government has announced that Self Help Groups (SHGs) would be entrusted the sand mining activity, it hasn’t taken a proper shape till now. Not less than 80 sand reaches would be operational if the government acted fast on its policy.
The builders are worried that they will not be able to meet project deadlines due to the slow down. The builders now either have to purchase the sand at the rates quoted in open market or slow down the works. A few of them have switched over to ready-mix concrete to avoid sand problem. Since sand comes to the cities from far off places, a substantial portion of the cost is accounted by transportation. More so, there is no control on the sand prices, say builders.
Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (CREDAI) State president A. Siva Reddy says there are more than 1,000 builders across the State, who are feeling the pinch of sand scarcity and escalating prices.
About 1,000 lorries of sand is required every day to keep the construction activity going on. But, the sand scarcity has caused the activity to come down 50 per cent.
With meagre supplies, the sand price has touched Rs. 33,000 per 20 tonnes which used to hover between Rs.12,000 and Rs.13,000 in the open market a couple of months ago. The normal price used to be between Rs.3,000 and Rs. 5,000, say builders.
Skyrocketing prices are compelling builders to slow down the activity. The city requires 200 to 300 lorries of sand every day, according to CREDAI Vijayawada Chapter president Y.V. Ramana Rao.
All quarries were closed except two out of 72 reaches in the district following prohibition by High Court in 2012-2013. The sand prices are on the rise since then. The slowdown would have adverse impact on more than 50,000 people who were either directly or indirectly dependent on the construction activity in the city alone, he says.
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