HYDERABAD: Alarmed over the rise in prices of cement, the State Government has asked all the 27 cement units in the State to ensure supplies by the specified deadlines for the housing programme taken up under Indiramma.

With the Government taking a tough stand, chief executive officers of the cement companies agreed to ensure supply of 6.5 lakh tonnes by April 15 at a meeting called by Housing Minister K. Jana Reddy with them here on Tuesday.

As against a total quantity of 18.61 lakh tonnes for which the Government placed orders with them for the year ending March 31, 10.18 lakh tonnes has already been supplied.

The balance will be released after April 15, it was agreed. The CEOs also accepted the Government's condition not to pass the additional excise duty of Rs. 12 imposed by the Centre on the 50-kg cement bag onto the beneficiaries of the housing programme.

With this, a price of the cement bag for Indiramma scheme will continue to be at Rs. 150 for Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram districts, Rs. 145 for East Godavari, Nellore and Chittoor, and Rs. 135 for the rest of the State.

Price variation is due to the distance to be covered during the delivery and other local factors.

A. K. Parida, Principal Secretary, Housing, told The Hindu that the meeting had decided that the Housing Minister would review once a fortnight the extent to which the companies had fulfilled their commitment.

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