Unpaid contractors threaten to stop work on projects

Amid commotion of Commonwealth Games projects failing to meet their respective deadlines,the Municipal Corporation of Delhi could be host to fresh troubles as nearly 3,000 contractors...

Amid commotion of Commonwealth Games projects failing to meet their respective deadlines,the Municipal Corporation of Delhi could be host to fresh troubles as nearly 3,000 contractors they are already on a partial strike have now threatened to stop all CWG-related projects.

The contractors have been demanding payment of dues they claim are pending for over 18 months. They have now threatened to intensify their protest,stage a demonstration at Town Hall on Wednesday and if that does not work,then,stop work on all Games-related projects. The contractors had launched a tools down strike on July 21,protesting against the delay in payment of their dues.

Sunil Vohra,president of the Delhi Municipal Contractors Association,claimed their total pending dues amount to a whopping Rs 650 crore. He further alleged the civic body is expressing its inability in releasing the amount claiming it was short of funds.

The contractors claim though has been denied by the MCD. Leader of MCD House Subhash Arya said the total pending dues of contractors amount to just about Rs 125 crore,of which Rs 42 crore was released last Friday. The dues amount only to Rs 125 crore and I do not know how the contractors have come up with a figure of over Rs 600 crore. While we have released a part of the amount,the rest will also be given to them soon, Arya said.

According to Vohra,however,in a meeting held last week,Arya and Standing Committee Chairperson Yogender Chandolia had said only Rs 125 crore will be released to contractors as other CWG projects have to be taken care of.

We want them to at least clear our dues till 2009,which amount to around Rs 430 crore. But they are just not willing to listen to us, Vohra said.

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