‘Now We Are Beggars’: Contractors’ Fires On AP Gov

Vexed with AP government’s attitude towards clearing the pending dues, the contractors have put up flexis/banners before many government departments. “Please Repay The Bills.. Save Our Lives.. Back Then We Were Patrons… Now We Are Beggars,” are the banners that were spotted before a few departments.

The total amount of pending dues up to Rs 80,000 Crore is what the estimates say. This is the plight of contractors in AP. Having done the works, the contractors have been roaming around every department for the last two years and there is no sign of repayment from the YCP government side. Tired of this, contractors are now not coming forward to take up fresh tenders as they fear that they would receive no payment once the works are done.

Irrigation, R&B, Panchayati Raj, Municipal, Health and a few more departments have summoned many contracts in the last two years. Irrigation department bills are estimated to be around Rs 10,000 crore and the contractors are now in a helpless situation.

The department of health owes Rs 2,000 crore to contractors. On Thursday morning banners before Andhra Pradesh Medical Services and Infrastructure Development Corporation (APMSIDC) were spotted, urging the government to make the payments of Rs 800 crore with immediate effect. The contract bills of the National Health Mission (NHM) wing in the health department stand at Rs 900 crore.

The R&B department has to clear Rs 700 crore to contractors. After forming government in 2019, the YCP has stopped clearing pending dues and reportedly called them ‘TDP Contractors.’ The contractors clarified that they have no association with TDP yet the YCP government’s attitude hasn’t changed. “We are not responsible for the previous government’s contracts,” was what informed us, said a few contractors and they agreed that some contracts were taken up in the previous government’s tenure.

The AP government followed a similar trend in the Employment Guarantee Scheme but the contractors approached the AP High Court. With court’s intervention, the AP government cleared the dues to the contractor with interest and shelled out extra money.

It shows the contractors are in a deep financial crisis yet the Jagan government is absolutely in no mood to make any payment or does the government has no money to give contractors?