HYDERABAD: Builders heaved a sigh of relief with marginal fall in the prices of cement which shot up steeply with the advent of summer. The builders protested against the high prices and sought the state government’s intervention but the government has not taken any action so far.
Cement manufacturers said increase was natural and attribute it to an increase in power tariff, cost of labour, transport etc. Earlier, builders alleged that considering ambiguity over introduction of GST, cement prices were deliberately being raised. “The cement price generally drops during monsoon and the cost of a bag, which varied between `340 and `360, has now come down to between `310 and `320. The price was `230 before it shot up by 60 pc in April,” said G Ram Reddy, president of Telangana chapter of CREDAI.