Srinagar
Scores of contractors on Sunday began 36-hour hunger strike in Partap Park Srinagar after holding a night -long has again started the protest demonstration demanding the release of payments against the projects they had executed.
The contractors who assembled under the banner of J&K Central Contractors Coordination Committee after spending a night has again sat in Partap Park to register their protest.
They said that bills worth Rs 750 crore have been pending with the various departments, adding that government is doing sheer injustice with them by not releasing their pending amount. The developmental works across Kashmir valley have been badly affected. “Our bills worth Rs 750 crore are pending with government departments which are not released for unknown reasons,” said Farooq Ahmad Dar, General Secretary JKCCCC.
Dar said that ‘injustice’, is being meted out to the more than 30,000 Valley-based contractors. He said that the ‘Hunger Strike’ call had been given to protest the pending bills of Rs 750 crores the state government owes to contractors and E-billing System. He accused the State government of compelling them to launch the hunger strike.
“We try our level best to solve the matter in a peaceful manner but the insensitive attitude of the state government towards our grievances left us no option than to start this hunger strike,” Dar said, adding that ‘’We warn the government to release our pending bills immediately’’.
The protesters holding banners and placards shouting anti-governmental slogans. Dar had earlier threatened to launch a 24-hour hunger strike from March 10 if the government continued to turn a blind eye towards the problem and fail to clear the bills.
