After the teachers and doctors, it is the turn of the Government-approved contractors to go up in revolt against the powers that be. The reason: non-payment of dues that run into thousands of crores.
Scores of contractors of the Public Health Engineering department who have been engaged in the implementation of Jal Jiwan Mission projects have issued an ultimatum to both the Centre and the State Government to release their funds or face agitation after the festive season.
The office bearers of the All Bengal PHE Contractors’ Association (Civil) on Thursday said that bills worth about `5000 crore were pending with the State Government.
“There are about 4,500 contractors. We have a bill pending worth a little less than `5,000 crores and a bill of another `2,500 crore will soon be uploaded. These bills are for the works that have already been done on account of the Jal Jiwan Mission programme,” a functionary said, adding, “Though this is a programme jointly funded by the Centre and the State. We have been working under the State Government which had released the work order. We have nowhere to go, no option left save going on a sustained movement.”
The Centre had launched the JJM or Har Ghar Jal Project, in 2019 with an estimated outlay of `2,08,652 crore setting a target of providing drinking water connections to all households by 2024.
The Association also said that under the mission, Rs 56,000 crore was sanctioned for Bengal with equal sharing of expenditure between the Centre and the state.
“Till 2024 only `13,000 out of the stipulated `28,000 crore has been released to the State,” Sanjay Biswas, executive member of the Association, said, adding, “the State Government in its part sanctioned about `11,630 crore for the year 2025-2026, despite that the contractors continue to remain unpaid.” This despite the fact that substantial work has been executed covering almost 1 crore out of 1.73 crore households in the state.
He said that the contractors had mortgaged their properties and taken loans to get the work done but were not paid their due. “We have to pay our staff and labourers. We have to take care of our families. The banks are after us. Neither the Centre nor the State is taking cognisance of our plight because they are all involved in politically sensitive issues. We had to descend on the streets out of desperation. We appeal to both the Centre and the State to consider our case with sympathy,” he said.
Incidentally, the PHE contractors have been a huge pro-Mamata Banerjee Government lobby that often contributes to electoral funds. On whether non-payment of their dues may have political repercussions they replied in the affirmative.
Meanwhile, in a parallel development, the aspiring primary school teachers who had earlier cleared their Teachers’ Eligibility Test exams hit the streets in thousands demanding early appointment.
“We have been sitting idle for the past several years despite having cleared our TET exams, whereas the Government is holding more and more exams without providing appointments. If this continues then we will have to start a bigger movement,” they said.