The lull in the construction activity triggered by scarcity of sand has taken a toll on manufacturing of brick and hollow cement blocks in the region. With no new projects being conceived by major builders, who are keen on completing the ongoing works on hand, coupled with escalating construction cost that has forced individual builders to go slow, the brick industry is feeling the brunt of the slow down.
Mahendra Reddy of Balaji Concrete Blocks told The Hindu that the industry as a whole was in dire straits with a slump in demand ranging from 40 per cent to 50 per cent. “Development activity in Mysuru is slow and the construction industry as a whole was limping in the region, which has affected brick manufacturers,” he said. Another brick manufacturer, who wished to remain anonymous, said labour problem was another issue confronting them.
There are about 250 to 300 small and big brick manufacturers in the region, but a majority of them are suffering from slack in demand and a few have shut down operations.
Ramesh, a civil engineer who used to manufacture soil cement blocks, said the industry as a whole has been affected by sand crisis, which has had a cascading impact on related units.
“Mysuru witnessed a boom in construction a few years ago when contractors had to pay advance and wait for days to get brick supply. But since then, the demand for bricks has steadily tapered off and manufacturers are incurring heavy loss,” Mr. Ramesh added.
While small-time players in the field are shutting down operations, a few major manufactures believe this to be temporary phenomena and are prepared to sustain the loss in anticipation of booking profits in future when the demand curve goes up.
