PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
The Uttarakhand Contractors’ Joint Jan Manch Samiti, a union of the State-based contractors, alleged that the increasing preference given to contractors from other States has been negatively impacting employment opportunities of registered contractors in Uttarakhand. While addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, the union leaders demanded greater transparency in the tendering process, alleging that tenders are being sold at the behest of the officers concerned. They gave the state administration a three-day ultimatum for meeting their demands.
Articulating their grievances, the general secretary of the outfit, Tara Chand said that local D-class contractors have been facing financial difficulties for a long time with payments against completed works being kept pending.
He said that local contractors had completed several development works under schemes, including the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY). “Yet, their payments are still pending. The delayed payments are landing them in a financial crisis,” he said.
The contractors also expressed concern over a lack of transparency in the tendering process, complexities related to contracts and the alleged neglect of employment opportunities for local workers. The committee demanded all pending payments be released immediately and an effective policy be formulated to protect the interests of the local contractors.
Issuing a three-day ultimatum, Tara Chand alleged that most tenders had already been sold and warned that the names of the officials concerned would be made public if the situation did not improve within three days.
