Imphal, Oct. 28: Contractors of Manipur public works department (PWD) today threatened to suspend all ongoing construction projects if the government fails to clear their pending bills of nearly Rs 200 crore.
“The government has not been clearing liabilities amounting to nearly Rs 200 crore for the past 10 years or so. We demand at least 50 per cent of the amount to be cleared before Ningol Chakouba festival on October 31,” general secretary of the All Manipur PWD Contractors Association, Thangjam Somorendro, told reporters today.
Though the association has only 70 member contractors, it has raised the demand on behalf of more than 3,000 builders working for the department.
Ningol Chakouba is one of the largest festivals of the Meiteis and entails a lot of expenses.
Somorendro said the government had not been clearing bills as old as 10 years, leaving the contractors high and dry.
“We tried to meet works minister K. Ranjit Singh two or three times, but the minister refused to meet us. Not clearing the bills before the festival is inhuman and unjust,” he said.
Though the Centre has been regularly disbursing money under the special plan assistance and from non-lapsable central pool of resources, the state government has failed to pay the bills because of diversion of funds, the contractors alleged.
Chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh, who also holds the finance portfolio, should intervene and do something immediately to clear some of the bills, they said.
“We will wait for the response of the chief minister till Ningol Chakouba. If we fail to get a positive response by then, all the contractors will meet and discuss the future course of action,” Somorendro said.
The contractors said they had not taken any decision on the likely course of action to be taken in the event of the government’s failure in clearing the bills, but one option would be to suspend all ongoing work of the department, including construction and maintenance of roads and bridges.