Tamil Nadu government’s warning that it would make arrangements to bring cement from neighbouring states to rein in the steep spike in prices has failed to evoke any response from cement manufacturers.
“The manufacturers are not ready to slash rates by even Rs 5 a bag. They do not seem to be bothered about the warning,” said Meganathan, a civil engineer. Though the construction industry has witnessed sharp hikes in cement and steel prices in the past, they have never been as steep and sudden as the current spurt. The price for a 50 kg bag, sold at Rs 145 a fortnight ago, is now selling at Rs 265.
Senior Congress legislator C. Gnanasekaran demanded that the government put an end to the windfall being reaped by a handful of manufacturers and break the cartel of powerful cement manufacturers in the state. “In Andhra Pradesh, cement is sold at less than Rs 100 a bag. If the cement producers are not listening to the government, they should be booked for cheating,” he said, suggesting that a mechanism be adopted to control prices.
It’s not promoters who are affected but thousands of construction workers and middleclass people who wish to have own homes, he added. “We’re disappointed that the government’s intervention has not made any impact,” said T. Chitty Babu, president of Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India. “All we want is that cement should be available at a reasonable price.”
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