Because of huge supply of chips and stone from Assam to other states, there has been huge shortage of the said two products in Assam severely affecting the construction industry.
According to reports coming from various parts of Upper Assam, stone and chips are being sent to Tripura, Naghaland and Manipur. The price of chips in Assam per cubic feet is Rs 22-25 while in Tripura and Nagaland it is around Rs 45-47. Hence most of the suppliers are catching outside the market for profit and because of which there have been huge problems in Assam.
Assam Government officially maintained that 80 per cent of the chips and sands of Assam has to be used in Assam but on the ground, there has not been any enforcement and traders have naturally migrated to higher profit zone.
The stone and chip crisis has reached so much that even the construction of PWD roads have also been badly hampered. Moreover the national highway expansion work has triggered huge home repairing and home renovation work throughout Assam but everywhere there has been tremendous shortage .
The authorities are clueless and forest authorities are hand in gloves with stone and chip suppliers allowing interstate movement without any proper valid papers because of which the things got further compounded.
