Srinagar
Expressing solidarity with the striking contractors who are on 36-hour long hunger strike in Pratap Park Srinagar, Independent lawmaker and MLA Langate Er Rasheed has appealed government to clear the liabilities of contractors pending with various departments and also resolve their other grievances.
KL Image by Bilal Bahadur
Er Rasheed on Sunday joined the protesting contractors and assured them of his support.
Er Rasheed said “it is a legal duty of the government to release the amount of about 750 crores to clear the long pending work done claims of the contractors.
“While the government has every right to improve the functioning of departments but cannot give sermons of morality and accountability to contractors without resolving their genuine issues,” he said.
Rasheed said “the decisions regarding e-billing and other such related important directives issued by the government could have been a conducive atmosphere. While the operating of the internet and mobile services is always at the mercy of security forces the serious apprehensions of contractors cannot be overruled. The government before claiming to streamline the process of tendering and executing works must take a moral ground and clear all the pending liabilities with various departments.”
Er Rasheed added that while state government has been making tall claims since last two years of getting eighty thousand crore package for the state from the centre, contractors and the general masses have a right to know why is there is so much of financial crunch on the ground and work on most of the developmental projects is at halt for the want of funds.
Er Rasheed accused that on one hand local contractors who contribute much towards the economy of the state are forced to starvation but on the other hand government is outsourcing all bigger projects and the rumours about throwing locals out of Sheikh-ul-Alam International Airport have started surfacing.
