Pvt cement companies price offer an 'eyewash': PMK

Chennai, Jan 9 (UNI) Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder leader S Ramadoss today dismissed as ''eyewash'' the private cement manufacuturers' offer to bring down the cement prices to Rs 200 per bag.

Reacting to the manufacturers' decision to sell 20 lakh bags of cement in a month at the rate of Rs 200 per bag, the PMK leader, who had launched a campaign against the increase in prices of cement, said this was nothing but an eyewash, especially when the government offered to sell imported cement at Rs 160 per bag.

When the government could sell imported cement at this rate, why it was not possible for the local manufacturers to sell cement at the same price, he asked.

He said besides asking the private cement manufacturers to sell cement at Rs 160 per bag, the government should insist that they make available 25 per cent of their total production to the government for selling at subsidised rate.

Dr Ramadoss said the government, which had warned the private cement manufacturers against take over if they did not reduce the prices, should go ahead with its warning and as a first step, ask the manufacturers to allot 25 per cent of their production to the government.

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