Vijayawada: Contractors stage dharna for payment of bills
AP Builders Association members stage a dharna demanding clearance of pending bills by the state government at Dharna Chowk in Vijayawada on Wednesday
Hans photo
Ch Venkata Mastan
Vijayawada: Contractors under the aegis of Builders Association of India (BAI), Andhra Pradesh unit and State of Andhra Pradesh Building Contractors Association (SABCA) staged a dharna at the Dharna Chowk here on Wednesday demanding the government release pending bills for the works they had executed.
The leaders of two associations said that the contractors had been facing many hardships since 2019 due to non-payment of bills regularly. The leaders said they laid roads across the state, constructed buildings, taken up Polavaram rehabilitation works and other works across the state.
BAI Andhra Pradesh president B Raghava Rao speaking on the occasion said the contractors have done various types of works related to the state government departments and were now suffering due to non-payment of bills.
He said most of the contractors in the state are small and medium contractors and had been facing many problems due to increasing bank interest rates. As per the rules, the bills should be paid in 45 days. \
He said 43 contractors in the state committed suicide due to financial problems caused by late payment of bills and increasing interest costs on bank loans.
Andhra Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) president Potluri Bhaskara Rao visited Dharna
Chowk and extended solidarity to the contractors.
He said the industrial sector is facing many problems due to impact of recession and Covid pandemic.
The government has to understand the problems of the contractors and release the pending bills. He said the Andhra Chamber of Commerce has taken to the notice of the state government the suffering of contractors and late payment of bills.
He said BAI and SABCA are the affiliated associations of Andhra Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Contractors from all districts of Andhra Pradesh participated in the protest.
They arranged scores of banners at the Dharna Chowk with slogans demanding the government to pay the pending bills as early as possible and resolve their problems. SABCA state general secretary Vijay Kumar, co-ordinator M Prasad and other contractors spoke on the occasion.