Contractors up in arms over Rs 9-crore pending dues

The contractors’ union of the Public Works Department (PWD) today raised a banner of revolt against the state government over the non-receipt of payments for the past seven months.

They said payment worth Rs 9 crore had not been cleared by the PWD since October 2024.

Demanding their pending dues, the aggrieved contractors raised slogans outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office. Though the contractors believed that their bills would be cleared by March 31, their hopes were dashed to the ground as no payment was made and their bills were sent back by the treasury.

They had also given a deadline of April 15 to the state government to clear their dues but to no avail.

The contractors submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister through Solan Additional Deputy Commissioner Rahul Jain demanding immediate release of payment.

They further resented that they were forced to obtain loans from the banks to pay salaries and were now paying interest as well. The contractors said officials were pressurising them to complete pending works.

Himachal Tribune