'Labour migration down'

Chennai : September 05, 2011, 0:46 IST:There is a severe shortage of about 40 per cent skilled construction workers as government projects like the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) are encouraging migrant labourers from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan to shift from private employment, says Assocham in a study.

The construction projects across the state are getting delayed, cancelled or halted in progress as the realty sector has been jostling with steep and steady rise in prices of cement, steel rods, bricks and other input material and adding to this is labour migration, Assocham said today.

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) interacted with around 150 people from industry across Karnataka including builders, contractors, developers, building material manufacturers, traders and real estate consultants to ascertain the impact of soaring construction prices and labour deficit on the state’s real estate and construction sector.