Sand scarcity hitting Vizag realty hard: Credai

Visakhapatnam: The Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Association of India (Credai) Visakhapatnam chapter has expressed its concern over severe shortage of sand and abnormal increase in prices of cement and steel.

"Covid-19 has adversely impacted all areas of life including apartment and real estate activities. The adverse impact on the apartment construction sector has a cascading effect on other businesses connected with the building industry. It has hit hard lakhs of daily labourers who depend on construction works," Credai Visakhapatnam Chairman Peela Koteswara Rao, president B Srinivasa Rao and honorary secretary V Dharmender told reporters here on Thursday.

They said that inadequate supply of sand, an important construction material, had become a permanent problem for the builders, hampering the construction

activity and making hundreds of workers, skilled and unskilled, jobless.

They said due to inadequate of supply of sand, sometimes caused by the manipulations of greedy sand mafia, the construction activity had slowed down. The unexpected Covid-19 had further worsened the situation.

The Credai office-bearers said there was no regular sand supply to the entire district, forcing the builders to depend on nearby districts and Odisha. Hence, builders in Visakhapatnam need special attention of the authorities concerned in dealing with the issue, they pointed out.

They hailed Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's new policy allowing online booking with the aim of eliminating sand mafia and other hurdles in supply of sand at Rs 375 per tonne at the reach level of the district and around Rs 800 at the site ensuring uninterrupted supply to builders and common public.