Maruti Infra CMD Nimesh Patel is new head of Builders' Association of India

Builders Association of India (BAI) on Saturday said that Nimesh Patel has been elected as its new President.

The association has urged the government to address various issues such as huge rise in the material cost, lack of skilled manpower, need for a regulatory authority and industry status to the construction industry.

Patel has assured the members to take up the issues with the Prime Minister, BAI said in a statement.

The Association's new President has demanded to appoint a 'Cement Regulatory Authority' similar on the lines of RERA for the realty sector.

Working out ways and means of meeting the challenges faced by the Indian construction industry due to the rapidly rising prices of all construction materials will be my top priority," Patel said after taking over as the 51st President of the BAI.

This is the first time that a person from Gujarat has been elected as President of BAI in its eight-decade old history.

Patel is CMD of Maruti Infrastructure Ltd, a BSE-listed company which is into infrastructure construction and also real estate construction.

The BAI has also urged the government for a 'Unified Standard Contract Document' to be adopted by all work authorities throughout the country including local bodies, state governments and corporations to weed out the differences of benchmarks.