Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, May 13: Jal Shakti contractors today sought the intervention of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha over the alleged non-release of nearly Rs 1,500 crore in pending payments, accusing the NC-led government of failing to resolve the issue despite repeated assurances.
The contractors warned that their protest would continue until the dues, pending for nearly two years, are cleared.
The contractors, operating under the banner of the Jal Shakti Contractors Coordination Committee, have been protesting outside the office of the Chief Engineer in Srinagar for the past three days, demanding immediate release of payments.
Addressing reporters at the protest site, Jammu province president of the committee, Rajesh Chowdhary Khanna, alleged that despite repeated representations to the authorities, no concrete action had been taken.
“We have been protesting for the last three days, but what is shameful is that not a single person from the Government has come to meet us outside the Chief Engineer’s office,” Khanna said, terming the administration’s approach “indifferent.”
He said contractors from all districts of Jammu and Kashmir had gathered in Srinagar after exhausting all available channels over the last two years, including meetings with officials in Jammu and Srinagar, the Civil Secretariat, and the concerned Union Ministry.
“We even went to the central ministry and were told that if the J&K Government signs an MoU, the money will be released within 24 hours. We then met the Chief Minister and the concerned minister. Minister Javed Rana told us in March to go happily and assured us that we would soon get good news,” Khanna said.
“Unfortunately, April has passed and May is also nearing its end, but the Government has done nothing and the MoU has still not been signed,” he added.
Khanna appealed to the Lieutenant Governor to intervene, alleging that the present Government had failed to resolve the issue.
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