As the contractor-government stalemate continues, work on projects costing about Rs 1000 crore has come to a halt.
Work on maternity hospital Bemina, degree colleges, schools and office complexes, bridges and roads across Kashmir is yet to start as the contractors have said they would resume work only when the government clears their pending bills amounting to Rs 1024 crore.
A senior official termed the situation as grave, apprehending cost escalation. He said the working season in Kashmir is already short and prone to political ups and downs.
“Losing more than a month in such conditions is not good for state’s development. This is an unprecedented situation,” he said.
“Public Works Department has sent a number of reminders to the finance department for seeking funds in order to pay pending liability of contractors. However so far there has not been any release of money which has kept the issue lingering,” he said.
Recently, the advisor to Governor had during an interaction asked contractors to resume works but they refused.
Joint Contractors Coordination Committee, a grouping of various contractors associations, has said the government was insensitive towards the welfare of 30,000 contractors.
“This is the first time in the history of Kashmir that administration is so insensitive towards the grievances of contractors as well as the developmental agenda of the Kashmir Valley,” co-chairman JCCC Ghulam Jeelani Purza said.
To finish the work on long-pending projects, the government has established the J&K Infrastructure Development Financial Corporation. The corporation has undertaken construction of more than 1000 languishing projects, which had been abandoned by previous regimes due to shortage of funds.