Cold Dasara for Mission Bhagiratha staff and contractors amid salary delays

The suicide of a Mission Bhagiratha line operator has exposed the dire financial crisis faced by over 17,000 contract workers under the scheme. With salaries pending for four months, workers and contractors alike are buckling under pressure.

Hyderabad: The suicide of 35-year-old Chandanboina Gandhi, a Mission Bhagiratha line operator in Khammam on Tuesday, is being seen as the tip of the iceberg. More than 17,000 contract and outsourcing employees working in different categories under the scheme are facing severe financial hardship due to non-payment of salaries.

Neither the contractors nor the government have ensured timely payments. Workers say they have been pleading with contractors for salaries pending for four months, but contractors in turn blame the government for not clearing their bills. As Dasara festivities began, many workers lamented that they were in no position to celebrate.

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Contractors, including some reputed companies, hire workers as pump operators, fitters, linemen, electricians and in other roles. Often, the work is further sub-contracted. While the fixed monthly salary is supposed to be Rs 18,000, contractors make deductions and pay only Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000, alleged Mission Bhagiratha Workers and Employees Association State Secretary V Ramulu.

“With rising prices, survival has become difficult, and now salaries have been withheld for four months. When questioned, contractors blame the State government for not clearing their bills. Shockingly, Mission Bhagiratha officials claim salaries are the contractors’ responsibility,” Ramulu said.

He added that appointment orders are issued with restrictive conditions, including barring workers from joining unions or staging protests.

Contractors also under pressure

The crisis is not limited to employees. Contractors who executed works for Mission Bhagiratha are also in financial distress.

“Due to delayed bill clearance and mounting pressure from private lenders, a couple of contractors have committed suicide. These are testing times,” said a Telangana Electricals Contractors Association member.

The Association claimed that Mission Bhagiratha owes nearly Rs 12 crore in dues. Contractors handling tasks like sub-station maintenance and repairs have staged protests at the Secretariat, but bills remain unclear. The Association added that similar pending bills exist across other sections as well.