Bills not cleared, contractors threaten to stop work

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, November 30

The contractors of PWD have threatened to stop work alleging that the government was not clearing their bills. The contractors are alleging that the government has recently passed a directive that their bills would not be cleared till they submit M-form for the construction material used in their works. The M-form is a document issued by the mining department of the respective area to illustrate that the construction material such as sand and gravel was taken from the approved site.

Navneet Thakur, president of Kangra Chamba Contractor Association, said that they purchased sand and gravel from stone crusher owners. “These stone crusher owners give us bill and charge GST for the material purchased. However, the stone crusher owners are giving us the M-forms issued by the mining department. The PWD has stopped the payments of contractors citing government direction that the M-form was required to be attached along with the bills of contractors. Contractors are being made scapegoat in the case”, he said.

If the government wants to check illegal mining they should check illegal mining by stone crusher owners or lease holders not harass the contractors, he said, adding that the contractors would be forced to stop work in case their dues were not cleared by the department for want of M-forms.

“We are under pressure from the department to complete works on time. No stone crusher owner was ready to give us M-forms. By involving the contractors in getting M-forms, the government is shifting its responsibility of checking illegal mining on the contractors”, he said.

Chief Engineer PWD Dharamsala Zone, NP Singh, said the condition of making payments only after submission of M-forms was imposed on the direction of High Court. Presently, payments were being given to only those contractors who are submitting M-forms.