The construction industry in Andhra Pradesh has come to a grinding halt following imposition of ban on sand mining by the high court to protect the riverbeds from indiscriminate exploitation of the natural resource. While the court stuck to its directive in the interest of the environment, there is a growing sense of restlessness in the construction industry over the adverse impact of the non-availability of sand on the projects in real estate, irrigation, housing and other sectors. The ban on sand mining came into effect on April 1 and the court made it mandatory for the state to obtain its prior permission to allow sand mining on even a single hectare. This has thrown several ambitious irrigation projects of the government into disarray. According to an estimate by the AP Chapter of Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI), real estate projects worth Rs 37,000 crore and government-monitored irrigation, roads and buildings projects amounting to Rs 90,000 crore have been badly hit by the sand shortage. The government projects consume over 60 per cent of the cement production in the state and the real estate sector accounts for nearly 30 per cent, while the rest is used in individual housing and other miscellaneous works. Representatives of cement manufacturers, real estate and construction sectors pointed out that Rs 1 lakh crore worth government projects, at various stages of construction, have been affected owing to the present crisis triggered by ban on river sand usage. “Overall, the projects worth Rs 1.30 lakh crore are badly hit by the present crisis. However, these are only rough estimates,” said C Shekhar Reddy, president, CREDAI-AP. “Almost 80 per cent of the construction activity has come to a halt. The headcount is also alarmingly coming down. For instance, the manpower has come down to 100 at a site where 500 staff used to work. If the present crisis continues for some more time, over one lakh workers and other staff will be out of work,” warned Prem Kumar, president of the AP Real Estate Developers Association. The AP Realtors’ Association is worried about inordinate delays in completion of the projects and also a steep hike in the unit costs. Some of the realtors are looking for alternative sources to keep the construction activity going. Rock sand is an alternative to sand usage and it is widely used in ready mix concrete in the city. “Concrete rock sand can be used as an alternative to sand. However, the present installed capacity is not enough. The state government should come out with a supporting policy to encourage rock sand units,” Shekhar Reddy said. sand woes Real estate projects worth Rs 37,000 crore and government-monitored irrigation, roads and buildings works worth Rs 90,000 crore have been badly hit by the sand shortage. Government projects consume over 60% of the cement produced in the state while realty accounts for 30% Almost 80% construction activity has come to a halt. Manpower is down to 100 at a site where 500 staff used to work