Protesting the rising prices of cement and sand, the Builders Association of India (BAI) in Coimbatore proposes to stage a state-wide demonstration shorty, said said K. Viswanathan, national vice-president of BAI (southern region), in Coimbatore on August 21. The Association is to take out a rally and present a memorandum to officials concerned, he added.The Association alleges that the cement companies were creating an artificial demand to increase the price and want the situation corrected immediately.Despite there being a verdict from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) there seemed to be no control over the prices of cement, the Association said. The cement companies did not reduce prices despite the CCI order, it said. The Association, demanded formation of a cement regulatory authority.BAI, along with CREDAI, Indian Institute of Architects, Association of Licensed Building Surveyors, Association of Consulting Civil Engineers and Coimbatore Civil Engineers Association, would take out a rally from Anna statue to Red Cross building pressing to bring down the cost of cement and sandCurrently, the price of cement was Rs 330 per bag, up from around Rs 260-Rs 275 about six months ago. Similarly, the price of sand per unit had gone up to Rs 5,000, which was costing around Rs 3,000 for several years until a few months ago, the Association said.With respect to sand, the Association demanded that the PWD identify new riverbeds and allow mining. In such new sources, it will take at least six months to get environmental clearance. Hence, after identifying new sources, the State should help get clearance quickly, said Viswanathan said.
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