Dibrugarh: The Military Engineer Service (MES) Builders Association on Thursday staged a protest against non-payment of dues for work done by the builders here.

Association members staged a peaceful protest in three different locations here.

Ajit Chetia, chairman of the association, Dinjan, Chabua branch, said builders were suffering from a financial crunch since the past six months because of non-payment of dues. "We have taken out a nationwide protest against this. We have appealed to the ministry of defence but after several attempts nothing has been done and because of that some of our contractors are facing financial problems. It is a matter of grave concern that the government is paying no heed to the life threatening situations faced by the dedicated MES builders, who are committed to doing their work in order to enhance the infrastructure capabilities of the military without considering adverse climate conditions," Chetia said.

Altogether, the association has 72 branches in India.

"We organised protests in Dinjan, Chabua and Mohanbari and submitted a memorandum to the garrison engineer," Nitul Kumar Saikia, general secretary of the association, Dinjan, Chabua branch said. He said if their demand would not be met within a specific time they would intensify their movement.

MES is one of the oldest and largest government defence infrastructure development agencies in India. It is employed in construction for the armed forces, including the army, air force, navy and coast guard.