Brick kiln owners face tough competition from Rajasthan units

Shivani Bhakoo

Ludhiana, June 25

Local brick kiln owners have expressed concern over the loss of business due to the inflow of cheap bricks from Rajasthan.

Nearly 20-25 lakh bricks are transported daily from Rajasthan to Punjab for private and public building projects, posing a serious danger to the proprietors of brick kilns here, local businessmen asserted. In an attempt to safeguard the brick-kiln industry, owners of these businesses have written to the Punjab Chief Minister, expressing their extreme difficulties as a result of this practice and other factors.

The state government should notify kiln owners that they can dig up to 1.5 metres to obtain sand for making bricks, according to the Brick Kiln Association, Punjab. Additionally, the acreage should be expanded from two acres to at least five acres, demand the brick owners.

“We are facing serious challenges. In 2021-22, there were 2,700 brick kilns in Punjab but unable to sustain, over 1,000 kilns were shut. Though majority of the kilns are upgraded as per the norms of pollution control board, still it has become an industry of losses. It should come out from the ambit of the Mining Act,” said Ramesh Mohie, president, Brick Kiln Association, Punjab.

The members claimed that even during the upgrade of kilns, lakhs of rupees were spent, still the industry is facing only the losses.

The bricks coming from Rajasthan were cheaper as compared to those available in Punjab. If we compare the prices, 1,000 bricks in Punjab would be around Rs 5,800-6,000 whereas similar quantity from Rajasthan would be no more than Rs 4,000. The reason for this is that sand is easily available at cheaper rates in Rajasthan and the labour is much more cheaper as compared to Punjab. Moreover, the Rajasthan government has not issued any directions to upgrade the kilns and they are preparing bricks as per old technology. About 800 kilns in Sri Ganganagar are flooding Punjab with bricks.

The owners said that the trade was going in losses, revenue was badly hit still the government was not bothered to save the industry.