Despite Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s assurance that she would “look into their demands and take appropriate action”, protesting contractors Tuesday said they will continue the strike and lockdown of the Engineering Complex in Rajbagh until their demands are not met.
Instead of an end to the deadlock, the strike entered its 8th day as the contractors’ continue demanding immediate release of more than Rs 500 crore liabilities from various government departments.
Addressing a press conference, general secretary of Contractors Central Coordination Committee, Farooq Dar said the meeting of a group of contractors, which is also part of strike called by JKCCCC on February 27, with the Chief Minister did not yield any results. Dar termed the verbal assurance of payment release by the chief minister as a move to “sabotage” the contractors’ strike.
“We reject the verbal assurance offered by the chief minister that our issues will be resolved in three days as we know it is not practically possible. Let them take a year to release our payments but we need a written assurance from the government,” Dar said.
Gulam Jeelani Purza, chairman, J&K Contractors Coordination Committee who met the Chief Minister along with a group of contractors told Greater Kashmir via phone that they were assured all their issues will be sorted out in three days. However, Purza said the contractors won’t accept verbal assurance adding that strike and lockdown will continue till payment is not released.
“We requested the CM that all our pending dues be released and demanded a written assurance . We told her that new POA system does not consider our liabilities and that this system should be put on hold till all our payments are not cleared. We will continue with the lockdown till all payments are cleared” Purza said.
However, Dar of JKPCCCC said the contractors’ fraternity is against the PAO system as it does “not take into account the pending liabilities” of the contractors.
“The online billing will make our liabilities null and void and we will be left high and dry. Government saying that PAO system will be deferred by one month does not serve our purpose. The ground level situation is not favourable for this system at all,” Dar said.
Dar said various protests by the contractors such as lockdown of government departments, boycott of developmental works and new tenders which started on February 27 will continue unabated till payments are not released.
“There is complete lack of coordination between the governments on the issue of contractors. On one side the chief minister says it would take three days but on other hand state finance minister has made a statement today that liabilities will be cleared by end of ongoing financial year. It shows the non-serious approach of the government towards our problems,” Dar said.
Dar said in an earlier meeting with the chief minister, the contractors’ have put forth a suggestion that a committee be formed to oversee that contactors adhere to allocated works.
“We had told the chief minister that all the developmental works undertaken by the contractors have been on the behest of MLAs and ministers of present ruling dispensation. It was decided that a committee comprising of government officials and contractors to ensure that no allocated works are not exceeded so that pendency does not pile-up,” Dar said.
Apart from the bills for the works done immediately after devastating 2014 flood water receded, the departments have not paid contractors for even the works done in 2015 and onwards, amounting huge liabilities, he added.