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| JKCCC Raises Serious Concern Over Pending Contractor Payments & Legal Source of Raw Material | | Srinagar, May 19(Scoop News)- The Jammu & Kashmir Contractors Coordination Committee (JKCCC) Chairman Ghulam Jeelani Purza on Tuesday expressed serious concern over the mounting difficulties being faced by contractors across Jammu & Kashmir due to huge pending payments, non-availability of raw material, delays in payment clearances and several unresolved administrative issues, stating that the ongoing crisis is severely affecting developmental activities across the Jammu & Kashmir.
In a statement issued to the press, JKCCC Chairman Jeelani Purza said that contractors associated with various government departments, particularly Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), Roads & Buildings (R&B), macadamization & Civil Liabilities works, are facing immense financial stress due to non-release of payments worth hundreds of crores.
He stated that contractors working under the Jal Jeevan Mission are awaiting payments amounting to nearly Rs 1500 crore and have been protesting for the past several days over the issue. He further said that civil contractors under the R&B sector are facing liabilities of nearly Rs 72 crore, while macadamization-related payments worth around Rs 80 crore are also pending.
Jeelani Purza said “Contractors have completed works in every corner of Jammu & Kashmir under difficult circumstances, but unfortunately they are now struggling because their legitimate payments have not been released. We had hoped that the present government would seriously address the long-pending issues of contractors, especially payment and raw material concerns, but despite repeated representations during the past two years, no concrete commitment has been fulfilled on the ground,”.
Highlighting another major concern, Purza said the ban and restrictions on extraction and transportation of raw material across different districts have badly impacted developmental works and infrastructure projects.
JKCCC Chairman said that while the government has imposed restrictions on raw material extraction, contractors are yet to be informed about officially approved legal sources from where material can be procured in a transparent and lawful manner.
Purza Said “If raw material remains unavailable, how will development works continue? We are not asking for anything illegal. We are only requesting the government to identify legal sources district-wise where contractors can procure raw material after proper royalty payments with receipt”.
He added that despite meetings chaired by the J&K Chief Secretary Atul Dulloo and constitution of committees regarding the issue, no practical implementation has taken place on the ground till date.
Jeelani Purza said, “We appreciate the Chief Secretary for constituting a committee and holding discussions on the issue, but unfortunately no progress is visible at the ground level. Contractors have still not been informed where legal raw material can be obtained, while legal procurement continues to remain extremely difficult and expensive.”
Purza urged the administration to immediately identify and notify legal raw material sources in every district of Jammu as well as Kashmir so that developmental activities can continue smoothly and transparently.
The JKCCC Chairman further said that delays in payment clearances have worsened the crisis, alleging that several deposited cheques and payment files have remained pending in treasuries for nearly a month.
He warned that the combined impact of unpaid liabilities, shortage of bitumen, raw material issues and treasury delays is slowing down developmental projects across Jammu & Kashmir.
Raising another important issue, JKCCC strongly objected to the repeated demand for character verification certificates from competent authorities for the renewal of contractor cards and registrations, stating that contractors have already submitted such documents on several occasions in the past and have also submitted judicial magistrate affidavits during the contractor card renewal process. The Committee said that repeatedly asking professional contractors to submit the same documents again and again is neither justified nor appropriate.
Jeelani Purza termed the move “unnecessary, unjustified” and said contractors should not be subjected to such procedures.
The JKCCC appealed to the Lieutenant Governor’s administration and the Omar Abdullah-led government to immediately intervene and resolve all pressing issues related to pending payments, raw material availability, treasury clearances and contractor registration procedures in the larger interest of development and public welfare across Jammu & Kashmir.
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