The Uthara Meghla Samara Samithi of the All Kerala Government Contractors Association has threatened to go on a strike against the apathy of the State government in paying the arrears to contractors for works completed in the past several years.
The contractors from six districts would take out a march to the office of the Superintending Engineer of the Kozhikode Public Works Department here on February 18. They would also stage a symbolic suicide strike on the occasion, association State organising secretary K.M. Akbar, Kozhikode district president P. Chandran Mokeri, and secretary K.M. Vijayakumar said at a press conference here on Wednesday.
They demanded that the State government repay all the arrears for the contract jobs done at the Departments of Water Resources and Public Works and withdraw the draconian rules against contractors. The total arrears to the contractors had exceeded Rs.2,600 crore now.
They said that the financial discipline exercised by Departments of Finance and Public Works during the previous government helped curb corruption to a great extent and contractors got payment for works completed. The attitude of a section of officials of both the departments had resulted in the present state of affairs, Mr. Akbar said.
Besides, the decision to offer mobilisation advance to institutions such as the State-owned Kerala Construction Corporation had resulted in corruption and delay in completion of works, he said.
Incidentally, the State government went ahead with proposals to construct roads and bridges at an overall cost of Rs.4,000 crore when the State was reeling under financial difficulties. It was unfortunate and unjustifiable to begin new works when the government refused to pay arrears to contractors, he said.
March, symbolic suicide strike on February 18
‘Withdraw
draconian rules’
