Begin typing your search above and press return to search.

Construction industry facing unprecedented crisis: AREIDA

By Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Aug 20 - The construction industry is facing an unprecedented crisis for the past several months due to severe scarcity of stone aggregates, according to the Assam Real Estate and Infrastructure Developers Association (AREIDA) president PK Sharma.

Sharma, in a statement, said that construction work at the AREIDA members� worksites has come to a grinding halt since this crisis erupted about five months back.

�Delivery timelines and cost have been have exceeded estimates to such an extent that these can no longer be absorbed by the helpless promoters. In this situation, delay in the delivery of apartments and escalation in cost cannot be avoided. The government should urgently come to our rescue as the crisis is beyond our control,� he opined.

He further said that the authorities have not been able to find any solution and the crisis continues for months without any solution in sight.

Sharma said that construction is the second largest generator of employment after agriculture in Assam and official figures indicate that approximately four lakh workers are directly employed in this sector, which in turn supports approximately another sixteen lakh dependants.

In and around Guwahati alone, about fifty thousand construction workers find direct employment. It is also amongst the largest generator of government revenue with the essential housing sector singularly contributing as much as 38.29 per cent of the cost of a home towards various government levies and taxes.

Out of this the urban local bodies earn 4.43 per cent, the State government earns 23.94 per cent and the Central government earns 9.92 per cent, of the cost of a house as various taxes, the statement divulged.

�Therefore, the adverse impact of the situation on the economy is huge and demands most urgent and immediate measures. In the meantime, the workers have already abandoned their work and left for their villages as their homes have been devastated by floods. It would be very unfortunate if the already impoverished workers cannot find work after they start returning, due to non-availability of chips. We urge the Chief Minister to intervene in the matter in larger public interest,� Sharma added.

Next Story