Bengaluru roadworks may hit a sluggish period again as contractors flag a widening gap between the supply and demand for construction materials in the coming months. This is the result of the recent quarry mishap in the Bengaluru South district and the Tamil Nadu government’s transport restrictions.

According to estimates, Bengaluru is receiving about 80,000 to one lakh tonnes less construction material, especially jelly stones and M-Sand, every day than usual.

If the situation persists, the city corporations may have to spend more on road repair and construction works or delay projects.

Spike in commute time

The city corporations’ and BSMILE’s white-topping works are in full swing, and due to these civic works, several road stretches have been closed, leading to increased commute times for citizens in Bengaluru.

An engineer overseeing white-topping works in central Bengaluru told The Hindu that initial work has been completed in many projects, and white-topping is due to begin, but contractors remain sceptical. “If construction costs go up, they will have to bear losses. As a result, work could slow down, and those stretches may have to remain closed for some time,” he said.

The issue was also flagged by commissioners during a Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) meeting. Pommala Sunil Kumar, Commissioner of the North City Corporation, told The Hindu that only a few works have been affected so far. K.V. Rajendra, Commissioner of the West City Corporation, said the situation is under control and that if demand increases, the corporations will make alternate arrangements, which has already been conveyed to the contractors.

However, any alternate arrangements will also result in a sharp increase in costs.

Mishap aftermath

On July 2, seven workers were killed at a stone quarry in Hulukenahalli village in Bengaluru South district’s Tavarekere after a massive boulder collapsed.

Ravindra Shetty Bajagoli, State President of the Federation of Karnataka Stone Crushers Owners’ Association, told The Hindu that 54 quarries in and around the area were closed after the mishap. These quarries used to supply at least 20,000 to 30,000 tonnes of material to Bengaluru.

In addition, the Tamil Nadu government imposed restrictions on the transportation of rough stones and their aggregates to other states during the last week of July.

G.R. Shanmugappa, President of the Federation of Karnataka Lorry Owners and Agents Association, said this has resulted in over 1,000 fewer lorries entering the state.

According to Mr. Bajagoli, lorries from Tamil Nadu transport nearly 50,000 to 60,000 tonnes of material every day. “This situation, however, is an opportunity for quarry owners in the State to ramp up production. Many owners have upgraded their machinery and are capable of increasing production, but the government should consider granting the necessary permissions and also crack down on illegal quarries,” he said.

Manjunath N., treasurer of the association, said several environmental clearances are pending in many parts of Karnataka, and expediting them could boost production.

Untapped potential

A senior officer from the Department of Mines and Geology told The Hindu that the quarries were not shut down entirely but had been directed to identify and rectify weak zones and vulnerable portions. “It is a temporary situation, and operations will resume as soon as the owners comply with the directions,” the officer said.

However, according to sources, several of the 54 quarries have already reopened, and the remaining ones are expected to resume operations soon. Yet, due to the disruption in supplies from Tamil Nadu, the situation is likely to persist.

The officer said data from the past four years show that none of the crushers have achieved more than 60% of the production permitted under their environmental clearances. “If they reach their full permitted capacity, there will not be any shortage; instead, there will be surplus material. Although transportation costs may add a marginal burden, contractors can procure material from other districts such as Kolar and Tumakuru.”

Published - August 04, 2026 05:59 pm IST