Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has directed finance department to release Rs 200 crore on account of outstanding bills of contractors for developmental works immediately and also assured them of releasing their pending bills by the end of this fiscal year,” a senior official said.
“CM held a meeting with the contractors in which she ordered the immediate release of Rs 200 crore on account of bills of contractors,” said an official adding that “the remaining amount will be paid by the government till the end of this fiscal year.”
“CM assured the contractors that their genuine grievances will be redressed on priority basis as they contribute to the development of the state,” he added.
The Jammu and Kashmir contractor’s coordination committee on Saturday had threatened to boycott developmental works in JK as pending bills amount to Rs 1024 crore are unpaid by the government.
Confirming the development, chairman, JKCCC, Ghulam Jeelani Purza expressed gratitude towards CM. “We are thankful that Mehbooba ji personally called us and redressed our greviances. She has ordered immediate release of Rs 200 crore on account of our bills which are lying unpaid with government.”
“Mehbooba ji also assured us that she would redress our other grievances which contractors face while discharging their duties,” Purza said adding that ” they raised the issue of harassment being faced by the contractors at treasury offices post implementation Civil accounts system as treasure officers seek administrative approvals of works done by us which contractors don’t get from secretariat,” he said.
Purza said Mehbooba assured them that she would redress these issues and hold further meetings with contractors in order to streamline their work.
Giving details about the pending bills, he said work done claims of having total payment to the tune of Rs 1024 crore in R&B sector including Rs 311.58 crore for macadamization upto March 2017 are pending with the government.
“Revalidation of PMDP funds to the tune of Rs 35 crore for Jammu region and Rs 4.50 crore for Kashmir division is also pending so far, which needs to be released by the planning department of JK,” he said, adding, “for current year’s plan of Rs 630 crore for macadamization, the work done claims upto November 2017 is to the tune of Rs 674 crore, but the funds are still awaited.”
Purza said that government has even failed to release bills on account of work done by the contractors post 2014 floods.