CHENNAI: AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam on Wednesday urged Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin to check the rising prices of construction material.
In a statement, the former chief minister said the government, if necessary, could supply the material at a subsidised rate.
The skyrocketing prices of construction material was not found anywhere in the country.
There were reports of a cement bag costing Rs 500-Rs 520 while it was Rs 440 pre-lockdown.
One unit of gravel costs Rs 5,000.
He said 3,000 bricks cost Rs 27,000 and a tonne of steel rate also shot up to Rs 72,000 from Rs 58,000.
The price of sand rose to Rs 5,200 from 3,800.
“The big projects have come to a standstill due to lockdown and the sale has dipped but the price shoots up,” the former CM said.
He said there was a speculation that construction material was being hoarded in the hope that demand would increase after the end of lockdown and resulting in artificial price rise.
The poor in the rural areas, who were constructing houses at a smaller level, renovating and repairing through loans, were heavily affected, he said.
Panneerselvam recalled the sale of subsidized cement through Amma Cements during the previous AIADMK regime.