After the crackdown on illegal mining in Uttar Pradesh, the state’s realty estate sector has felt the brunt, due to the shortage of sand, gravel, and other construction material.
The ban has dried up supplies of construction material; both organized and unorganized construction activities have witnessed a fall. The Kanpur-based UP Cement Dealers’ Association has warned that it will "stage demonstrations" if the supply of construction material is not regularized within a week. The industry body claimed that cement traders had been "booking huge losses" with construction activity "coming to a virtual halt" in the state.
The Allahabad High Court had come down hard on illegal mining; the authorities started taking action after the election dates had been announced for the 2017 UP polls. On 5 April, Uttar Pradesh had constituted a Group of Ministers chaired by Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya to suggest the way forward to curb illegal mining.