Shortage of sand, bajri hits repair of roads in Kangra

Ravinder Sood

Palampur, October 21

The repair and maintenance of roads in Kangra district has been adversely affected because of the non-availability of sand and crushed bajri following the closure of stone crushers.

The monsoon is over, but the Public Works Department is yet to take up the work to repair roads damaged in the recent floods.

The state government closed stone crushers after flashfloods in August but it failed to make alternative arrangements for the supply of construction material. Not only roads, but also the housing industry is facing a crisis as no construction material is available anywhere.

A senior official of the Public Works Department said that because of the shortage of sand and bajri, most of the divisions could not take up the patch work on roads. He added that winter was approaching and not many days were left for the repair of roads.

Meanwhile, the prices of construction material have skyrocketed in the Kangra valley. A trolley of sand has become costlier by around Rs 1,500. Earlier, it was available for Rs 2,500 but now its price has gone up to Rs 4,000. The rates of crushed stones have gone up by 40 per cent. Earlier, a trolley of crushed stones was available for Rs 2,700 but now it is selling for Rs 4,200. Likewise, a trolley of river sand is selling for Rs 4,000 against Rs 2,200 earlier.

Local residents blame the government for raw material getting so costly. They said the sudden spike in the prices had brought most of the ongoing construction activity to a standstill, not only in Kangra, but also across the state.