Prices will upset dream home in Kochi, Kerala.

The construction industry is on the warpath. Companies are uniting for a common cause and have threatened a strike on January 20, 21 and 22 if the issues they have raised in a charter of demands submitted to the Chief Minister on January 6, are not redressed.

This is the first such strike threat since the formation of the Confederation of Construction Organisations (CCO) led by the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (CREDAI).

Coming under the CCO umbrella are Kerala Builders Association, Licensed Engineers and Supervisors Federation (Lensfed) which has 10,000 members, Tipper Lorry and Earth Movers Association which has 30,000 members, Borewell Diggers Association which has 600 members and associations of painting and concrete contractors.

“There are several issues plaguing the construction sector. One is the rise in the price of raw materials which affects consumers directly. Our main demand is to give industry status to the construction sector, which provides crores in taxes to the state exchequer and employs 15 lakh people,” said S N Reghuchandran Nair, chairman of CREDAI-Kerala and CCO.

CCO has also demanded that there should be a state level Construction Industry Development Council (CIDC). There is one at the Central level and also in other states.

“One way to bring down the price of key raw material like cement and steel is to start companies to produce them in the government and co-operative sector and sell the products at competitive prices, which will force private companies to lower their prices,” said Kerala Builders Association chairman and CCO convener, T Padmajan.

He said that non-resident Indians (NRIs) can be encouraged to start companies in the state to produce raw materials for the construction sector.

He said that in the case of cement alone here has been an increase in price of Rs 40 per packet in the past one year. Steel has gone up by Rs 6 per kilogram whereas the price of river sand has gone up 100 per cent.

Issues affecting the construction sector are spread across different ministries – Industries, Local-Self Government, Labour, Finance, Irrigation, Home, Electricity, Registration, Environment and Mining and Geology.

The CCO, predictably, is against the Kasturirangan report which seeks to rein in quarrying in the Western Ghats.

It says that 70 per cent of quarries have stopped functioning which has resulted in scarcity of sand and metal, making these more expensive.

Another issue raised by the industry is the menace of middlemen in the labour sector.

“A majority of the labour is migrant labour. We pay them Rs 600 per day. But what they get in hand is Rs 300 to Rs 350. The remaining R 250-300 is cornered by middlemen who arrange for the labour, taking advantage of their ignorance in the local language and circumstances,” said Reghuchandran Nair.

In the past three years, property registrations in the state have come down significantly.

Procuring sand biggest challenge

The Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI) finds a clear stagnation in the construction industry in the past one year with the key reason being the restriction on sand procurement.

With the inflow of sand through legal sources virtually drying up, the majority of sand comes through illegal sources priced as high as Rs 20,000 per load.

Real estate developers say the hike in prices of raw materials has virtually made it impossible for them to run the business profitably. With the prices going up, the demand in the housing sector has gone down.

According to M A Mehaboob, president of the Kozhikode unit of CREDAI and a director of the Hi-Lite Builders, the overall slowdown in the economy and heightening interest rates, the retrogressive tax policies of the state government and controls on procurement of raw materials have hit the construction sector in 2013.

“The government introduced restrictions on sand procurement without taking into account the impact on the consumer. Now, undesirable elements are ruling the roost”, he said.

“Although the overall picture is still gloomy we expect a positive change in coming days with the projected easing off of bank interest rates and overall growth momentum in the economy,” he added.

The only new project launch worth talking about in Kozhikode during 2013 was the announcement of Rs-400 crore residential villa project by Sobha Developers, said a source in the real estate sector.

Source: Deccan Chronicle

Sand mining workers strike hit construction – Kozhikode, Kerala.

The indefinite strike called by the coordination committee of sand mining workers in the district has hit construction activities in the district. The distribution of sand through Nirman Online Sand Distribution System launched by the district administration has also been affected by the strike which entered its third day on Saturday.
Around three thousand workers engaged in legal mining of sand began striking on May 2 demanding that the wage hike recommended by the wage revision subcommittee be implemented. The subcommittee was constituted to look into revising the wages of the workers and to increase the rent of tools used to mine sand. The collector’s decision to hike the pay by Rs 50 for mining one tonne sand and increase the tool rent by Rs 3 had upset the workers who were expecting a larger hike. This resulted in the employees launching the indefinite strike.
The subcommittee constituted by district collector K V Mohankunmar on December 28, 2012 had been entrusted to study the feasibility for wage revision. The committee headed by ADM K P Ramadevi which submitted its report on February 6, 2013 had recommended an increase of Rs 75 to mine one tonne sand and a 10% hike to rent mining equipment.
On April 4, the collector announced an increase of Rs 50 for mining and Rs 3 hike for tools. This was done to reduce additional burden on the customer. Upset by the revised rates, workers under the coordination committee launched the agitation. At present workers charge Rs 1,026 for mining three tonnes of sand and Rs 57 to rent out equipment.
“The on-going strike will have a serious impact on construction activities in panchayats, as the people there mainly depend on sand distributed by the district administration to carry out construction work. Following unavailability of river sand, we have started using M-sand to carry out construction activities in corporation areas,” said I K Nikil Kumar, president of Government Contractors Federation, Kozhikode corporation unit.
Chairman of coordination committee of sand mining workers, U Pocker said the committee will continue the indefinite strike till the collector implements the recommendations of the subcommittee. “We know the construction sector has been hit. We demanded the hike ten months ago considering the exorbitant prices of essential commodities,” he said.
Meanwhile, collector-in-charge K P Ramadevi, said a meeting will be convened on May 7 with representatives of various trade unions of sand mining workers at the collectorate to find an amicable solution to the crisis.

Source: Times of India

Sand mafia continuous illegal sand mining in Thrissur, Kerala

Sand mafia continuous illegal sand mining in Thrissur, Kerala.

Kerala Sand mining: Armed cops to protect revenue officials

MALAPPURAM: The state government is planning to provide armed police protection for the special squad of revenue officials in the district who conduct raids at illegal sand mining centres. The initiative is taken considering the increasing number of attacks on police and revenue officials by sand mining mafia.

District collector M Mohandas told TOI that revenue minister Adoor Prakash has agreed to take steps to ensure safety of officials on duty and an official announcement regarding this is expected soon.

Attacks on inspection teams are a commonplace at the illegal sand mining centres in Chaliyar, Bharthappuzha and Kadalundippuzha in the district.

A gang of sand mafia had attacked the revenue officials headed by deputy collector VK Sundaran who were in search of vehicles involved in illegal sand transportation in Anakkayam near Manjeri recently. The senior civil police officer of Areekode police station, C Ammad was seriously injured in a sand mafia attack at Areekode in September. In another incident last year, a team of revenue officials escaped an attack by members of a sand mining mafia at Moorkanad near Areekode.

A group of illegal sand mining mafia attacked the house of Edavanna SI recently. The attackers also set afire the car parked in front of his house, Hidyathulla, at Chembukuth near Edavanna town.

Tirur RDO K Gopalan said the squads of revenue officials alone cannot prevent illegal mining and transportation of sand in the region. “We are facing serious threats from sand mining gangs which are active in Kuttippuram, Thirunnavaya, Tanur and Thripprangode regions,” he said.

Deputy tahsildar releases seized sand, suspended by Collector K.V. Mohankumar

Kozhikode: District Collector K.V. Mohankumar on Wednesday suspended Koyilandy deputy tahsildar P. Aravindakshan for releasing the sand seized from the mafia the other day.

The suspension came in the wake of a report submitted by additional district magistrate K.P.Rema Devi, after an inquiry. The report had listed serious lapses on the part of the deputy tahsildar.
The special squads formed to check sand smuggling in the district have intensified their operations, especially at night, in noted areas.

The police had also strengthened patrolling in vulnerable spots, said City Police Commissioner G. Sparjankumar on Thursday. The force was providing support to the special squads formed by the revenue department, he added.

Although police and revenue officials have intensified the raids, police officials are under tremendous pressure to go soft on the case connected with the sand mafia’s attack on the district collector.
A prominent political party in the ruling United Democratic Front had exerted a great deal of pressure, sources said.     

In Kannur district, police and revenue officials seized 30 country boats from Valapattanam river, engaged in illegal sand mining. The police also arrested eight people in connection with the incident. Revenue and police officials also conducted extensive raids in Malappuram district on Wednesday morning.
Source: DECCAN CHRONICLE

Filter sand is not fit for construction purposes

It has been proved that filter sand is not fit for construction purposes and the state government has banned its use in Karnataka. Filter sand might lead to development of cracks in structures, thus reducing its compressive strength and life. Production of filter sand has been adversely affecting the fertility of agriculture land. Filter sand isn’t good for the environment either. The government had ordered that violators and illegal operators involved in sand mining and filter sand trade will be jailed and have a hefty fine imposed on them. Cases will be booked under the Anti-Goonda Act against them.

However, gullible customers still buy filter sand since it is costs much lesser than good sand fit for construction.

What are the ill-effects of filter sand on buildings?
Filter sand is the term used for the material taken from the bottom of the lake or man made trough like ponds. This is not sand but washed mud with high levels of silt, mud and other chemicals, which has corrosive effects. Silt and mud are enemies of concrete. It means that we need to add more cement to increase the strength of the concrete and the danger is that it will lead to cracks in structure reducing the compressive strength and life of the structures.

Ban on River Sand supply to other states by Karnataka Govt

Despite a ban on supply to other states, it is being supplied to Kerala where sand mining is completely banned and sand is sold for Rs. 40,000 to 50,000 per load.
Everyday, Bangalore city is officially being supplied about 300 lorry load of sand against the actual requirement of 3,000 loads.
Source: The New Indian Express
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