Rameez Makhdoomi & Malik Sameed
Valley-based contractors under the banner of Jammu and Kashmir Central Contractors Coordination Committee (JKCCCC) have decided to go on a 42-hour hunger strike from June15 at Tourist Reception Centre here.
More than 70,000 contractors mostly from Kashmir valley are aghast with the government. The reason for this aghast is that an amount worth Rs.700 crore is pending with Government from more than 2 years which is causing them great distress and pain.
According to details shared by contractors with The Kashmir scenario, the situation looks alarming .The main Defaulter Departments according to contractors is PHE & Flood Control, R&B, Estate, Tourism etc. What is more startling is that, even a number of projects have been flagged off but still payments of contractors are lying unpaid.
One of such details shared with The Kashmir Scenario was related to work done by certain contractors in Irrigation and Flood control Department. One of the contractors namely Abdul Gani Wani stated that he had executed many projects in the irrigation and flood control department worth lacs of rupees. The said work was completed on time but the department has failed to release the funds.
Some of those works executed by the said contractor were related to:
- Construction of F.P work by way of construction of boulder bund Ishnad Nalha at Ainoo Mukam Authority No. 2546 dated 14-09-2011, costing worth of Rs. 1.50.
- Construction of F.P work by way of construction of boulder bund at Syidpora on Trouth Nahla Authority No. 2546 dated 14-09-2011, costing worth of Rs. 1.61.
- Construction of F.P work by way of channelization & removal of shoel from Brigi Nahla at Badasgham Hille, Authority No. 2626 dated 16-09-2011, costing worth of Rs. 3.34.
The said contractor further said, “These figures clearly show that even for petty amounts, the government has kept the contractors at stake. The contractors are now left with no other option but to protest over it, since the authorities have failed to address the demands to release the payments.”
On the genuine parlance another demand of contractors that synchronizes well with all sane voices is to have the same chest for funds in Kashmir Division as has been made for Ladakh Division. The larger truth of state’s climatic condition is that it is literally impossible to spend any major amount in Kashmir from November onwards.
Same is the case of Ladakh where working season is much limited on account of turbulent weather conditions. In case of the Ladakh division, the local authorities have shown much wisdom. They have set up a fund in which is known as “chest” which they keep the saved and excess resources.
In Ladakh and North East, funds through government do not lapse. There has been a demand from Kashmir voices from a long time that a similar non-lapsable fund should be created for Kashmir on the grounds of climate and geography as is done in case of north eastern states and Ladakh.
Pertinently according to details shared by Contractors the height of shame is that even the money due to them for maintenance of Secretariat quarters and Ministerial Quarters have not been paid which according to them amounts to crores of rupees.
One such painful part of story shared by Contractors representative exclusively with The Kashmir scenario is that R & B Building Chadoora which is functioning from the last one year was contracted to one contractor named Abdul Gani Sheikh who undertook the complete work of it. The height is that still an amount of Rs 27 LAC is yet to be paid by the government. The result has now taken an ugly turn and Abdul Gani Sheikh is already in debts and has been left bed ridden.
General Secretary, JKCCCC Farooq Ahmed Dar, while talking with The Kashmir Scenario stated –“Contractors form an indispensible part of the development process as it is we who execute the projects on ground zero. But shamefully enough, the authorities have left us in lurch. Till date Rs.700 Crore rupees is pending with the government and this amount is inflating with every passing day. Innumerable projects have been inaugurated but we are still not being paid our dues. As a result of these developments, we have been badly impacted as we too have debts especially of laborers and other human resource. I would like to share it via your esteemed medium that we have taken a decision not to let inauguration of any of project until or unless the amount due to us is not paid in Toto. We warn the government to release our pending bills immediately or all the developmental works would be completely boycotted after June 20 2013.”
According to contractors, most of their money that is locked up happens to be in State Sponsored Schemes and some of it in Central sponsored schemes.
In this regard, Haji Mohammad Akbar Pal, Chairman JKCCCC halted the inauguration of Haproo Batpora Bridge as the amount worth crores was outstanding to him.
Even a representation from Anantnag district showcased to the Kashmir scenario that despite doing number of works proficiently on Irrigation and Flood Control level they have still pending amounts worth more than Crore.
The overwhelming majority of contractors state that they don’t comprehend as to why the government is delaying their due payments even though the completing developmental works entrusted to them was done on time. They predict that this level of Government’s protracted insensitivity towards the contractors will only spell doom for state’s overall infrastructural development,
Valley based contractors also allege that it is the Kashmiri contractors in particular who have the most money pending with the Government Departments. They have also stated that from few years since the Central Planning Commission has undertakenthe overviewing of developmental works of the Jammu & Kashmir state; the most works are allotted to the Ladakh and Jammu division.
The Kashmir Scenario took up the grave issues with relevant authorities. Chief Engineer Irrigation and Flood Control Department Javed Jaffar stated – “Yes contractors have unpaid amount lying with us especially in the Anantnag Division .The basic problem we are facing is with reference to the flood control which have to be done on continuous basis .The money for these works come mostly from the Government of India while as state Government has to pay 10 percent. We have now embarked upon a path so as to pay first the pending amount and then work on new developmental works.”
Chief Engineer PHE Muzaffar Ahmad Lankar, stated – “The amount lying with us that is due to contractors is not alarming but still we are looking into the unpaid amounts and trying to address the issues.”
Chief Engineer R &B, Mushtaq Ahmad Lone stated – “We have cleared most of the due payments to contractors and whatever is spillover would be paid as soon as Government releases funds under plan. As far as that concerned contractor of Chadoora is concerned we will have to look at his claims whether they are realistic or not and we will still look into the matter.”
With these ground facts and statements of contractors impressing that they won’t allow the inauguration of projects without payments made the developmental process is expected to face serious challenges and even hiccups, which do not augur well for developmental process.