Traders vexed as kilns stop brick sales due to high GST

LUDHIANA: The brick kiln owners began a six-day strike on Monday stopping supply of bricks to traders, building material stores and customers.

The development has left several traders of bricks and building material stores worried and they are now urging the central government to break the deadlock with the kiln owners before it gets too late. The brick kiln owners have been up in arms against increase in Goods and Services Tax (GST) on bricks and the “unjustified rise” in the rates of coal which is primary raw material in the kiln industry. As a mark of their protest, the kiln owners have already stopped the production of new bricks and were only only selling the stock stored with them.

Gurjit Singh, owner of a building material store near Partap Chowk, said, “The brick kiln owners’ strike will prove to be very costly for us because the supply of bricks was already short due to their decision to not operate their kilns. With this strike, small traders like us who have very less stock lasting only 1-2 days, will suffer. Other construction material like sand and cement is also sold only along with bricksand if we don’t have bricks, we would not be able to sell other material as well. This will give advantage to those big traders who have a huge buffer stock of bricks, while others will incur huge losses. We request the central government to resolve the differences with the brick kiln owners because in coming days, the situation will become very serious when no stock of bricks will be left anywhere.”

Ludhiana Brick Kiln Association member Gagandeep Singh said, “Our six-day strike against high rate of GST and no control on rates of coal will continue till September 17. If the central government fails to act even after six days, we will take our agitation to the next level, perhaps by sitting on protest outside the central government offices.”