Civil engineers association protests against rising cost of building materials

METCEA protests rising construction material costs, demands price regulation committee and transparency in Chennai building industry.

Members of the Metropolitan Civil Engineers Association (METCEA) staged a protest here on Monday seeking to curb the rising cost of construction materials and also establish a price regulatory committee.

S. Jagadeesan, founder-president, METCEA, said there had been a sharp increase in the cost of various construction materials. In the past year, the prices of construction materials had increased by 30%, while plumbing and electrical materials had also become pricier.

For instance, the cost of steel, which was ₹50,000 per tonne last year, is currently ₹80,000 per tonne. “We did not have any other option besides increasing the building construction cost from ₹2,000 per sq.ft to ₹2,400 per sq.ft. This will add to the customers’ burden,” he said.

The association wanted the regulatory committee to be formed with various stakeholders to ensure transparency. Their charter of demands included the establishment of an engineers’ council for civil engineers, a single-window registration system for engineers with the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) or the Directorate of Town and Country Planning (DTCP), and provision of smart identity cards to registered engineers.

It has also sought the allocation of a dedicated space at the DTCP office to facilitate effective examination of building drawings for granting planning permission.

Members of the Tamil Nadu Sand Lorry Owners’ Federation, including its president S. Yuvaraj, also participated in the protest. The METCEA submitted a petition at the Chennai Collectorate.