CHENNAI: AIADMK's Vedaranyam MLA and former minister OS Manian on Monday said that the Kalaignarin Kanavu Illam housing scheme could remain a distant dream if the State government fails to take immediate measures to curb the rising cost of construction materials.

Participating in the debate on the demands for grants for the Home Department in the Legislative Assembly, Manian raised concerns over the steep hike in the prices of M-sand and gravel (jalli) and urged the government to take effective steps to bring down the cost of construction materials. "If adequate action is not taken to control prices, the dream of Kalaignarin Kanavu Illam will remain just a dream," he said.

Responding to the remarks, Minister for Water Resources and Mines and Minerals Duraimurugan informed the House that he had convened a meeting with M-sand and P-sand manufacturers at the Secretariat on Sunday, following their decision to increase prices. "Manufacturers agreed to reduce the price by Rs 1,000 during the meeting. The member might have spoken based on a prepared speech without factoring in the latest developments," he said.

However, Manian countered that as the financial assistance per house under the Kanavu Illam scheme was a fixed one, any substantial rise in material costs would severely impact the construction of houses for beneficiaries.

Joining the debate, Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami also questioned the government on the issue. Contending that the price reduction is miniscule, the LoP said that while the price of sand had been raised by Rs 1,900, only a Rs.1,000 reduction had been announced.

Responding, Rural Development Minister I Periyasamy, intervening in the debate, said that construction has been completed in 80% of the houses, making a debate over the kanavu illum scheme getting affected irrelevant. The government had sanctioned one lakh houses for the year 2024–25, of which construction had been completed for 80,000 houses, the minister said.