Builders’ Association threatens work suspension in Telangana from Dec 1 over pending bills

The Telangana unit of the Builders’ Association of India (BAI) has warned of a statewide suspension of construction works from December 1 if the government fails to address long-pending bill clearances. With over Rs 800 crore in dues affecting nearly 8,000 bills, small and medium contractors are under severe financial strain.

Hyderabad: Facing severe financial hardship due to delays in clearing pending bills, the Telangana unit of the Builders’ Association of India on Thursday urged the State government to convene a meeting before November 30 to address their concerns.

They warned that if the government failed to hold a meeting with Heads of Departments of all key wings, they would be compelled to suspend all works from December 1.

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BAI State unit Chairman U Surender and BAI National Vice President DVN Reddy submitted representations to the Principal Secretaries of Roads and Buildings, Panchayat Raj, Irrigation and Finance Departments, and also submitted a copy to Chief Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao’s office.

Reddy appealed to the government to clear pending bills below Rs 1 crore to bail out minor and medium contractors. There are about 8,000 such bills amounting to Rs 800 crore, and this could rise further once recent works are included, he said.

Last week, the government cleared bills under Rs 10 lakh pertaining to the Panchayat Raj and R&B Departments, releasing Rs 320 crore.

However, contractors remain in acute financial distress due to delays in payments for completed and ongoing works. Many small and medium contractors pledged assets and borrowed funds to finish public works and are now under immense financial strain, Reddy said.

The BAI appealed to the government not to link politics with bill clearances. Governments change every five years, but bills for works executed under previous regimes must be honoured. While elected representatives often politicise such issues, some senior officials have also cited similar reasons, he said.

The BAI urged the government to prioritise projects and release work orders based on budget availability, enabling timely bill clearance. They also sought early release of bank guarantees for works closed under the non-priority category.