MKVDC contractors on fast

PUNE, Sept 14: Even as they await fulfillment of State Government's assurances on paying outstanding bills, three Maharashtra Krishna Val...

PUNE, Sept 14: Even as they await fulfillment of State Government8217;s assurances on paying outstanding bills, three Maharashtra Krishna Valley Development Corporation MKVDC contractors today launched an indefinite hunger strike at the corporation headquarters here pressing for early payments.

The contractors have been protesting against non-payments of bills running into crores for seven months now. The hunger strike is believed to be the first discernible antagonism to Joshi Government8217;s claims on assuring an uninterrupted flow of funds.

Mahendra Satav, Shankararo Takawale and Appa Biramane launched the hunger strike while scores of contractors today laid siege to the MKVDC headquarters.

Meanwhile, MKVDC executive director A P Bhave today admitted that the contractors8217; agitation affected the MKVDC works. He claimed that Rs 12 crore had been made avialble to the corporation and would be used to settle the contractors dues8217;. The corporation would issue Rs 350 crore bonds in a week8217;s time, he disclosed.

Total outstanding bills were worth Rs 588 crore, he said adding that the MKVDC has started making payments to the contractors since past four days. Rs five crore have already been paid to the contractors, besides Rs one crore for steel and Rs two crore for cement.

Rs 100 crore was expected from the government shortly and every effort was being initiated to expedite payments, he said.

Reacting to Government8217;s decision to give priority to the dam works over the canals, the contractors alleged that the Government was purposely delaying the canals so as to browbeat the contractors into submission and deter them from agitations.

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Almost 90 per cent of the contractors, involved in the project, have been engaged in the construction of canals, the contractors on hunger strike claimed.

The delay in canal work was costing them dearly, the contractors said and pointed out that the machineries purchased by them for the MKVDC projects were now lying idle. According to Bhave, the canal works would not be stopped completely. A few canals would be executed for certain length while some works would be put in abeyance. He also appealed the contractors to withdraw their agitation since disbursement of funds has began. He refuted contractors8217; allegations that a few MKVDC officials were attempting to engineer a split among the contractors.