Building workers stage dharna in Eluru

Eluru: Members of Andhra Pradesh Building Workers Union, affiliated to Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) staged a dharna at the Collectorate here on Friday, demanding that the State government improve sand supply, increase reaches and stock points and pay Rs 10,000 compensation to the working days lost because of unavailability of sand.

The CITU city general secretary, M Srinivas Rao presided over a meeting held on the occasion. Addressing the gathering, the CITU district general secretary DNVD Prasad sand scarcity has rattled the construction sector for the past four months.

The government had stopped the sand supply alleging irregularities in sand supply during previous regime. However, it failed to supply the sand and ultimately the construction sector suffered heavily.

While a tractor load of sand cost Rs 1,600- Rs 1,800 earlier, now it rose to Rs 2,500 to 3,000, he lamented. The union leaders, Y Rambabu, Reddy Lakshmana Rao, and others also spoke.