The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Lorry strike cripples construction industry

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Aug 09, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Lorry strike cripples construction industry

Staff Reporter

Sand being bought at Rs. 15,000 a load at the dead of night
Lorry owners threaten to intensify agitation

— Photo: K. Murali Kumar

A FORCED HOLIDAY: A view of empty lorries parked on Ring Road at Banashankari-Mysore road junction on the second day of the strike in Bangalore on Wednesday.

BANGALORE: Even as the strike by construction material transporters protesting against “harassment” of sand lorry operators by government agencies continued on Wednesday, the construction industry has been put to hardship.

Non-availability of sand, gravel and size-stones has made the life of individual builders miserable with mounting costs. Big builders are beginning to feel the heat with non-availability of raw material as well as ready-mix concrete.

A. Chamaraja Reddy, chairman of the Karnataka Chapter of Builders’ Association of India, told The Hindu that the strike had added to the woes of the industry, which was already in trouble because of shortage of cement. Many ha d to buy sand in the black market by paying Rs. 15,000 a load as against the normal price of Rs. 8,000 to Rs. 9,000, he said.

Although a few ready-mix concrete suppliers claimed they had stopped supply because of to non-availability of sand and gravel, sources in the industry said the concrete was supplied at a premium rate. Same was the case with sand and gravel lorries, which supplied sand at the dead of night for double the regular price. Meanwhile, the Federation of Karnataka State Lorry Owner’s and Agents Association has threatened to intensify the agitation by roping in all goods vehicles if the Government did not address the issues raised by sand transporters within a week.

Federation president G.R. Shanmugappa told presspersons here on Wednesday that the Government had not called any meeting to address the need to regularise the transportation of sand and prevent harassment by police and revenue authorities. Lorries had stopped transportation of sand for the past two days. He said if the Government failed to take any step by August 15, the federation would be forced to stop operation of all goods vehicles in the State.

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