Short on sand, developers face penalty threat

Faced with the unprecedented crisis of construction sand, the real estate developers in the state are having a tough time coming to terms with Real Estate Regulatory Act (RERA) and have thus sought relaxation in the prescribed deadline for completion of their projects registered with RERA. As there is no provision that addresses a situation like this, these developers have sought intervention of the state government. According to the real estate developers’ body, short supply of construction sand has slowed down the construction works by almost 50 per cent. The crisis has emerged following a ban imposed by Supreme Court on unwarranted mining of bajri from river beds in the state. The shortage of the construction sand has affected all infrastructure projects, however, the real estate projects are also facing possibilities of penalty under RERA for missing out on the completion deadline.