PTI reported that the cement sector continues to be steady with another 50 million tonne capacity to be added this year.

Mr HM Bangur president of Cement Manufacturers' Association on the sidelines of a conference said that “The demand for cement has not come down. However, it remains to be seen what infrastructure policies are pursued after a new government takes over.”

Mr Bangur said if the country's GDP grows at 7%, the cement industry is expected to expand by 9% to 10%.

He said that “About realty sector, when we say housing, we think about urban housing and real estate developers as the face of the industry. But they constitute only 5% of the cement demand. In rural and semi-urban areas, where land is comparatively cheaper, construction activity has picked up.”


Mr Bangur, who is also CMD of Shree Cements said although government had taken up new initiatives on infrastructure, they are still inadequate.

The 2 day event, Green Cementech 2009, was organized to discuss steps to make Indian cement plants world class.

(Sourced from Press Trust of India)