Shimla | TNR
A dream home is turning out to be a pipe dream for many residents of Himachal Pradesh during the corona pandemic due to steep price rise of building materials.
There has been a 10 to 30 per cent rise in almost all building materials like sand, cement, wood, pine planks and iron rods. This has impacted the poor and middle class the most.
If iron rods were available for Rs 4400 per quintal in June last year, this month it has shot up to Rs 6400 per quintal (plus GST).
Ashok Hardware shop owner Bhagat Rathor from Nangaldevi in Shimla said that a pine plank bundle, comprising 10 pieces of 10 feet each, used for ceiling or panelling was available for Rs 2200 to Rs 2300 five months ago but currently its price was between Rs 3300 and Rs 3500.
Rathor said that there has been a 10 to 20 per cent hike in the price of GI iron and plastic pipes in the past six months.
Six months ago a GI pipe could be bought for Rs 750 but now one has to shell out Rs 900 for it. A quarter inch PPR pipe which was available for Rs 200 in January this year is now available for Rs 240.
A 25 per cent hike has been recorded in the price of wood panel ply board, he said adding that an additional Rs 200 has to be shelled out for a 10mm board.
The price rise in sand and gravel is being attributed to the rise in the price of diesel. Last year sand from Ghaghar was available for Rs 19,000 to Rs 20,000 per motor load but now Rs 21,000 to Rs 22,000 is being charged for it.
The price of a cement bag has risen between Rs 5 and Rs 20 within a year even as there has been a 5 per cent rise in the price of tiles. The cost of labour for construction work has increased too.
Corona epidemic has hit all kinds of businesses hard and thousands have lost the means of their livelihood even as the wholesale price index (WPI) is at 7.39 per cent.
