Reacting on concerns expressed by the builder community, the Telangana state government has asked the cement manufacturers to bring down cement prices. A cement bag, which used to cost Rs 230 to Rs 250 in May, now costs about Rs 330 to Rs 350. Since the government has no direct control on cement price, the officials can only discuss matters with manufacturers and arrive at an amicable solution.
Chief secretary, Rajiv Sharma, on the directions of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, held talks with cement producers at the Secretariat. The meeting was attended by representatives from all major private cement companies.
The opposition party, Telugu Desam, meanwhile alleged that the Telangana Rashtra Samiti was trying to escape its responsibility to protect the interests of some bigwigs involved in cement production.?The price of a cement bag was less than Rs 250 during Governor?s Rule in the state till June. After the TRS government took over on June 2, the price started escalating sharply and has now touched almost Rs 350 per bag. This shows that the TRS has failed to regulate cement prices. When the Governor could control the prices for the last three-four months, why can?t the TRS government regulate it? We doubt the sincerity of the government,? said TD MLA A Revanth Reddy.