State housing projects remain in limbo

Infrastructure and private housing projects in the state worth approximately Rs 10,000 crore would continue to remain stalled for nearly one-and-half months more after Supreme Court did not provide relief to the state government. The ban has not only impacted the private housing sector but also delayed the deadline of several of state government's ambitious projects.This situation is expected to be grimmer due to interrupted supply of sand (bajri) for minimum of two months. Uptight over the situation to complete projects on stipulated time after coming in the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act ambit, the developers have already approached tothe urban development and housing (UDH) minister Srichand Kriplani. However, continuous delay is affecting the project cost. "Bajri is most essential requirement for construction. In absence of availability, construction of projects are on hold. Though we have apprised the UDH minister about the situation and demanded time relaxation, our project cost is increasing due to delay," said Shaleen Singh, a private developer. Other than developers, unavailability of bajri for construction is also posing serious problems for thousands of labourers, workers and consumers. Some developers added that nearly 5 lakh labourers, including migrant labourers depend on construction and allied industries. "There is no demand for labourers coming from villages for the past two months," said Ratan Singh, a small businessman associated with construction industry.