In Karnal, contractors halt road construction over payment delays

Contractors associated with government road projects in the district have stopped construction work midway in protest against the delay in payments. The contractors assembled at the Zila Parishad office, raising slogans and demanding the release of their dues.

As per the protesting contractors, this is the first time that the state government has handed over road construction projects related to the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board (HSAMB) to the Zila Parishad, but the move has not yielded positive results. They alleged that nearly 100 road projects in the district were now lying incomplete as payments have not been released for the past three to four months.

“We have been raising this issue for the past few months and have approached several officials, but nothing has been done. This has forced us to stop work,” said Rajesh Arya, a contractor.

He further alleged that some officials are withholding bill clearances without any valid reason, creating unnecessary financial hardship for the contractors.

Earlier, the projects under the HSAMB were directly managed by the board itself, and payments were made promptly. However, since the state government transferred the construction and strengthening of these roads to the Zila Parishad, the process has slowed considerably. “Earlier, we used to receive payments on time from the HSAMB. Now, even after completing the work, we are waiting endlessly for our dues,” Arya added.

The contractors claimed that the total pending payment amounts to nearly Rs 20 crore. They appealed to the state government to intervene immediately and ensure that all dues were cleared so that road construction work across the district could resume without further delay.