Contractors stage stir for non payment of bills

The general body meeting of the Zilla Panchayat was going on in the newly inaugurated meeting hall but the contractors staging protest in the premises disturbed the members inside the hall, compelling them to speak on the issue before going to the agenda. Members said that it was unfortunate that the contractors were staging protest in the premises because such a thing had never happened so far in the history of Zilla Panchayat.  

Though the protesters alleged the ZP of not settling the bills for projects executed by them under MP, MLA funds, Members in the meeting said that the contractors are protesting at a wrong place because it is the Deputy Commissioner who had withheld the payment on quality grounds and not the Zilla Panchayat.

Association President Vishwanath said that they are not demanding money for sub standard work but they want to know where they have faulted because contractors have completed the work according to estimation and have submitted the photos of the projects at different stages, prepared checklist and even submitted reports of third party inspection but still the authorities concerned have not released the amount. The Deputy Commissioner used to give order to the Executive Engineer to release 50 per cent of the bill after completion and verification of the work but for the past two years, the said system has been stopped due to which the contractors are facing financial problems,” he said.