The contractors of civil, mechanical, electrical and public health works on Tuesday took out a rally in Kakinada under the banner of the East Godavari District Contractors Association (EGDCA) against the inordinate delay in clearing the pending bills of various State and Central government works in the district.
According to the EGDCA, pending bills worth ₹1,200 crore are yet to be released by the State government to the 200 registered contractors in the district by December.
Led by EGDCA president R. Santaram, the contractors took out a rally from the RTO office to the Dharna Chowk with placards.
The contractors have alleged that the State government did not release the funds for the works which have been taken up by them under the SC, ST sub-plan, Panchayat Raj Department, Rural Water Supply Department and the municipal general fund.
The bills pertaining to the works completed with the 14th and 15th Finance Commissions grants have also not been released by the State government, they alleged.
‘Cancel works’
Mr. Santaram has stated that the State government should cancel the works which are in progress if it could not afford the project cost. In a joint statement, the contractors have said that a huge number of workers in the construction field have lost employment due to the pending bills.
The contractors have appealed to the State government not to invite tenders for the works without having sufficient funds, land for the work and proper work drawings. EGDCA vice-president K. Balakrishna, secretary P. Satyanarayana and other contractors were present.
