Shillong, Jun 2: The Khasi Jaintia Government Contractors & Supplier Association (KJGCSA) has accused the state government of shutting out local contractors from government projects, while flagging massive pending dues under the Jal Jeevan Mission.
In a memorandum to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, KJGCSA said local contractors in the Khasi-Jaintia region “are being deprived of opportunities to participate in and benefit from government projects within the district.”
The association said “irregular bill payments” were hitting livelihoods and urged the government to clear pending dues under JJM. “As Bills to JJM are yet to be cleared, many contractors are facing financial problems,” it said, requesting intervention to ask the PHE department to clear at least 50 per cent of the money from other sources.
KJGCSA also sought “expedited release of pending bills for central schemes under Water Resources for 2024-2025.”
On PWD Roads, the association said the practice of floating tenders in large packages without splitting the work “benefits only a few big contractors, depriving local contractors.” It urged the government to “split tenders to allow local contractors to participate and promote economic growth and quality of work.”
KJGCSA demanded an end to non-transparent practices, saying departments should “ensure transparency in their work through the tender process” to promote fair competition and better value for money.
It specifically requested “the cessation of close tenders and advance work on PWD roads without sanction orders” and asked for a halt to departmental work in the Soil & Water Conservation, Wildlife, and Forest departments. “Instead, call tenders for work to enable local contractors to participate,” the memorandum said.
While stating that it appreciates the government’s development efforts, the association appealed for intervention “to ensure that local contractors are not deprived of their livelihood and rightful share in the development process.”
