Civil contractors in Telangana lose hope on State government as pending bills pile up

Civil contractors in Telangana are facing financial distress as pending government bills worth Rs 1,000 crore, including Rs 505 crore for small contractors, remain unpaid. Protests have erupted, highlighting delays, insufficient funds, and alleged preferential treatment for larger firms

Hyderabad: Civil contractors in Telangana, particularly those handling small contracts, have been facing severe financial distress for the past six months due to delays in the clearance of pending government bills.

The situation has worsened as new bills continue to pile up on the existing backlog.

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On March 7, members of the Telangana Civil Contractors Association staged a protest at Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka’s chambers.

The contractors alleged that the State government had not cleared pending bills worth Rs 505 crore for the past 18 months. These bills pertain to works executed for various departments, including R&B, PRRD, MAUD, RWS, and others.

A member of the association highlighted the plight of small contractors who had undertaken works by taking loans from private lenders. In most cases, bills were less than Rs 10 lakh, with interest on loans mounting every month.

“Some contractors, whose bills range from Rs 80,000 to Rs 1 lakh, have completely lost hope in the State government. They are unable to repay private loans,” he said.

Another member added that the inaction of the government has led to further accumulation of bills. In the last six months alone, nearly Rs 500 crore worth of new bills have been added to the existing backlog, taking the cumulative total to Rs 1,000 crore.

Contractors have been running from pillar to post for months, but their efforts to get bills cleared have largely been futile.

Last month, a group of contractors from Karimnagar approached higher officials seeking bill clearance. Despite the Finance Department approving the payments, the bills were not cleared due to insufficient funds, according to a Karimnagar contractor.

“In my personal case, I am awaiting clearance of bills worth Rs 23 lakh from the MAUD department,” he said.

The contractors allege that bills of corporate companies and well-established agencies are being cleared promptly, while those of class II and III contractors remain pending for extended periods.

Similarly, Mana Ooru–Mana Badi contractors staged a protest at the Deputy Chief Minister’s chambers on Monday. The State government reportedly owes these contractors Rs 369 crore.