Karnataka Contractors’ Association threatens protest if Siddaramaiah govt fails to clear pending bills in 30 days

'There have been no proper payments from the government. Very few payments have been made. We have written a letter to the chief minister four times and requested (clearance of dues), but nothing has happened. Contractors are in distress,' Karnataka State Contractors’ Association President D Kempanna said.

Bengaluru: Urging the state government to clear contractors' dues for works done, Karnataka State Contractors’ Association President D Kempanna on Friday threatened to hold a protest if necessary action is not taken within 30 days.

At least 50 per cent of the payment should be released immediately, he said, alleging that the bills of only a few 'select' contractors were getting cleared now and that the payments were not being made according to seniority.

'There have been no proper payments from the government. Very few payments have been made. We have written a letter to the chief minister four times and requested (clearance of dues), but nothing has happened. Contractors are in distress,' Kempanna said.

Speaking to reporters here, he urged the government to clear the dues at the earliest, pointing out that a couple of contractors had even attempted to commit suicide as they had not received pending payments for a long time.

'At least 50 per cent of the payment should be released immediately, as festivals like Ayudha Pooja are coming,' he said. He charged that the bills of only a few 'select' contractors were being cleared through cheques.

Alleging that seniority is not being followed while making the payments, despite the chief minister's assurance, Kempanna further said, 'We are unable to understand where the payments are happening, and officials too don't respond properly.' He further said, 'If the government doesn't take immediate action in this regard, our executive body will decide on the next course of action...we will try to meet Chief Minister and make a request to him first. If there is no action in 30 days, we will have to go on protest,' he said, claiming that the situation of the contractors in the state is worse than that of the farmers.

Kempanna also urged the chief minister to call a meeting to find a solution and put in place a system to resolve all the issues, especially the clearance of dues.

Demanding that contractors from the state be given priority as class-one contractors, he said that instead contracts are being given to those from Andhra Pradesh and other places.

'Most of the work today is being done by contractors from Andhra and other places, not by people from our state. We have become second-class citizens. We are in a situation where we don't get eligibility for Rs 1 crore contracts. We have been requesting to upgrade us,' he said.

It was under Kempanna that the association had alleged that the previous BJP government had been extracting 40 per cent commission from contractors in the state. In response to a question about it, he said the charge was then made based on a written complaint by several contractors, adding that in the past five months of the Congress government, not even a single contractor has given any complaint.

If anyone gives a complaint, he further said, the association would act accordingly by writing to the chief minister, other political leaders and the prime minister, as the association did last time.

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar in response to the association's demands, said that despite an ongoing inquiry into contracts awarded by the previous BJP regime, the government has cleared 65-70 per cent of the bills in order of priority on the basis of requests made by Kempanna and other contractors.

'There is no need for contractors to worry. If they have any issues, let them come and discuss; we will do justice,' he said.