Dhubri, Oct. 19: Contractors of the state water resources department today staged a sit-in in front of the Dhubri divisional office of the department demanding immediate payment of outstanding bills and threatened to boycott fresh tender invitations.

The contractors alleged that instead of clearing their bills, the state government was employing multi-national companies and agencies to execute various projects. "It is unethical and unjustified on the part of the government to put the livelihood of 22,000 statewide contractors on the line," said Biswajit Kalita, a member of the Dhubri District Water Resource Contractors' Association.

The association's president, Mosaddique Omar, said instead of paying Rs 1,500 crore in outstanding bills, the government had started a new policy of "group" tendering and "one scheme, one group", which are anti-contractor.

"We are rolling out the red carpet for big construction companies but they could not complete the Rs 155-crore Matmora-Dhakuakhana anti-erosion project though it started in 2014. Less than 70 per cent work has been done, while contractors who complete their work on time have not been paid yet," he alleged.

The association demanded that bills be cleared soon, groups made in such a way that all categories of contractors could participate in the tendering process, no one other than the registered contractors could participate in filing tenders and stop registering other contractors. It demanded discussion prior to allotment of work and incorporation of the guidelines in the tender advertisements. It submitted a memorandum to chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal through the deputy commissioner.