The streets of Kerala have fallen silent where construction once roared. A blockade imposed by Tamil Nadu on the movement of essential quarry products—stone aggregates, gravel, and Msand—has brought the state's building industry to its knees, idling infrastructure projects and stripping livelihoods from thousands.

Key facts

  • Tamil Nadu government blocking quarry product movement into Kerala
  • Protest march and dharna planned for September 11, 2026 at Puliyara border
  • Construction sector paralyzed, workers unemployed, projects halted

A Sector in Standstill

The restriction has completely paralyzed Kerala's construction sector, affecting ongoing infrastructure work and leaving thousands of workers without a livelihood. The acute shortage of basic raw materials has brought activity across residential, commercial and public works sites to a sudden halt.

Human Cost Mounts

Migrant laborers have been forced to return to their home states while local workers face unemployment. Truck operators, drivers, and daily-wage construction laborers have lost their income, plunging thousands of families into severe economic hardship.

"Due to Kerala's high population density, the present crisis has severely crippled the State's construction sector. The lack of work has forced migrant laborers to return to their home States, while local workers have been left unemployed," said S Jayamohan, district secretary, CITU.

Protest Planned

To demand immediate action from both state governments, CITU construction and motor sector unions will stage a protest march and dharna towards the Puliyara border check post on September 11. The joint committee is calling on Tamil Nadu to lift its material movement curbs and demanding active intervention from the Kerala government.