Nurpur contractors seek payment, threaten to halt government projects

Contractors engaged in various government development projects under the Public Works Department (PWD) circle in Nurpur have voiced serious concern over the delay in clearing their outstanding payments.

Frustrated by what they termed as an “unprecedented” delay, office bearers of the contractors’ association on Wednesday submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu through the Superintending Engineer (SE), PWD circle, Nurpur, urging intervention to ensure timely disbursal of their dues.

In the memorandum, the contractors expressed disappointment that the PWD had failed to settle payments for completed works by March 31, marking the end of the previous financial year.

“Most of the contractors have availed bank loans and are now struggling to repay instalments under the current financial strain. Those who rely on bank limits to execute government projects are facing severe hardship, with their livelihoods now under threat,” the contractors stated.

The delegation submitting the memorandum included association office bearers Yakub Khan, Mukesh Sharma, Vishal Pathania, Anil Sharma, Kishor Singh and Satveer Singh. They highlighted contractors have consistently contributed to government development efforts in partnership with the department.

“Despite our role in constructing vital public infrastructure, we have not received our dues for the 2024-25 fiscal year. Many of us are now trapped in debt and struggling to make ends meet. The situation is so dire that it’s costing us our sleep,” they lamented.

The association called on the government to release all pending payments within a week. They said failure to do so would leave them with no choice but to launch a protest and suspend work on ongoing development projects across the region.

Himachal Tribune