AMBALA (Satish Handa): Brick kilns not only in Haryana but all over in the country are facing severe business slump due to shortage of coal at present available a much higher rates as a result construction business has also been worst affected and work at most of the government projects has come to halt because not only bricks the prices of cement and ‘saria’ too has witnessed drastic increase in past some time. A survey in Ambala district having nearly 110 brick kilns reveals that nearly 50% of these are either not working or facing severe sickness due to shortage of coal or unaffordable rates of coal s well as migrant labourers in most of the brick kilns has left for their native places due to present festival season as well as in the absence of work.

Goldy Budhiraja President of Bhatta Association in the district told that bricks are being sold at the rate Rs 6000 per thousand at present as compared to the price Rs 5000  per thousand during this period last year and brick kiln owners are compelled to increase the rates due to higher production cost because of constantly rising prices of coal available at the rate Rs 24000 per ton at present, which was available at the rate Rs 10000 per tons last year. Budhiraja told that shortage of coal is due to rainy season since most of the coal mines in the country are flooded with rain water this rainy season as such extraction of coal has been adversely affected at present and to meet urgent demand coal is being imported from other countries at much higher prices increasing production cost of bricks.

According to brick kiln owners, they have submitted a memorandum to District Food Supply Controller to increase rates of bricks for government supplies since it is not possible to make supplies at old rates due to fast rising prices of coal. Not only brick kilns, but also industrial units, paper mills and steel furnace units consuming coal in bulk quantity are worst affected as such manufacturers of corrugated sheets for packing industry too has been badly affected due to severe shortage and rising prices of coal.