Mumbai, Dec 28 :    Mumbai, Dec 28:  Cement manufacturers are again planning to raise prices in the Mumbai region by Rs 3 per 50 kg bag from January 2. This will ratchet up prices to Rs 185-Rs 190 per bag in the territory. This will be the fourth hike within the span of a month in the region. Industry circles do not rule out the possibility of cement prices going up in other parts of the country as a consequence of the move. Cement prices have shot up by over Rs 27 per 50 kg bag during this period. Mumbai is the country's largest consumer of the commodity with a monthly consumption of 3 lakh tonnes a month. News about the price hikes sparked fresh interest in the cement counters on the Bombay Stock Exchange today. Reflecting the buying interest, shares of nearly all the companies flared up by 5-7 per cent. ACC, for instance, closed at Rs 158.55 after opening at Rs 150.15. Earlier in the day, it touched an intra-day high of Rs 159.25. On the other hand, Gujarat Ambuja Cements Ltd (GACL) finished at Rs 158.25 after opening at Rs 154.60; Grasim was quoted at Rs 284.95 after opening at Rs 280 and Larsen & Toubro closed at Rs 191.95 after opening at Rs 184.40. Market circles point out that the buying interest is likely to continue in the immediate term despite fears in some quarters that the the Monopolies and Restrictive Practices Commission (MRTPC) may initiate against the industry for cartelisation. Meanwhile, hit by the manufacturers' move, the Builders Association of India are looking at the possibility of halting construction work all over the country 'if the government does not undertake prosecution of the MRTP Act violators by January 7.' At a meeting here today, the apex association, which has been formed by leading trade associations that govern builders, contractors, real estate developers, architects and civil engineers, also asked the Union government to declare cement as an essential commodity and lower import duty to a minimum. It may be recalled that in November the cement industry decided to artificially jack up prices by controlling supply and shutting down their plants for routine maintenance work for more than the conventional 20-25 days. The move was seen as an answer to the problem of cut-throat competition and price undercutting at a time when demand for the commodity showed any significant improvements. Consequently, the manufacturers resorted to a series of price hikes - on one occasion raising it by as much s Rs 15 per 50 kg bag. Describing the situation, Niranjan Hiranandani, managing director of Hiranandani Constructions Pvt Ltd said cement prices in the city were ruling at Rs 120-140 per bag over the past two years. The cement producers have suddenly increased prices by about Rs 60 per bag. Before the routine shutdowns, most cement plants were working below their optimum capacity. Despite this, most of the cement makers had either completed or outlined ambitious capacity expansion programmes. ACC has completed modernisation and expansion of its Chanda (Maharashtra) and Madukkalai (Tamil Nadu) plants, which now have a combined capacity of around one million tonnes. A new-look plant at Wadi (Andhra Pradesh) with a capacity of 2 million tonnes per annum is under implementation. Gujarat Ambuja has also outlined an ambitious capacity expansion programme of 7.5 million tonnes at an estimated cost of Rs 1,320 crore.