Arrears to Govt. contractors mount to Rs. 1,300 cr.

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, AUG. 12. The All-Kerala Government Contractors' Association has decided to proceed with an agitation as the State Government had failed to initiate any step so far to pay the arrears to the tune of Rs. 1,300 crores due to the contractors.

The arrears due to the contractors for the works done in the public works and irrigation sector in the State is an all-time record, the association general secretary, Mr. P. Viswanathan, said in a statement here today.

The bills of Government contractors which are more than three years old are pending with the Government, he said. The Finance Department had not even released the budgetary allocation for the first and second quarters of the current financial year.

The association pointed out that even the White Paper of the Government had acknowledged the fact that a huge amount of arrears was due to the contractors.

Three contractors hailing from Kannur, Idukki and Thiruvananthapuram districts had committed suicide early this year as the arrears were not paid.

The association's State committee, which met here, has decided to indefinitely stop all public works if a substantial amount of the arrears due to them was not paid before the forthcoming Onam. The association has also decided to approach the judiciary for getting the arrears from the Government.

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