Control brick prices, trade unions tell govt

Coimbatore: Trade unions have demanded the state government to control the prices of bricks as the production has been stopped in brick kilns in the Thadagam area and available stocks are being sold at exorbitant prices.

According to the Coimbatore district general secretary of AITUC Construction Workers Union, N Selvaraj, the brick manufacturers have increased the prices of bricks and the state government should intervene immediately to control the price hike.

“In the recent days, the construction materials – cement, thermo-mechanically treated (TMT) bars and other raw materials prices have increased drastically and the construction work has been crippling due to the price hike. Lakhs of construction workers lost their jobs in the recent days,” Selvaraj said in a statement.

Earlier, one load (4,500 bricks) of bricks was sold for Rs 35,000. Now, one load of bricks has touched Rs 58,000.

Now, brick kiln units in Karamadai and Mettupalayam supply bricks to the Coimbatore district.

“We condemn the unit owners for the price hike. The construction industry has been affected due to the price hike. Many construction workers have lost their jobs. The Tamil Nadu government and the district administration should intervene immediately and act against those brick kiln unit owners who sell bricks at exorbitant rates,” he added.