Qazigund, Aug 18 (JKNS): Contractors associated with the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) Contractors Association, Division Qazigund, staged a protest on Tuesday against the non-payment of their pending bills for the past two years.
As part of the protest, the contractors locked the office of the Jal Shakti Division Qazigund.
The protesting contractors appealed to the authorities to release their long-pending payments at the earliest, saying that the delay has caused severe financial hardship to them and their families.
The contractors said that although the government had constituted a House Committee to examine the issue, its report is still awaited. They urged the concerned authorities to expedite the process and ensure the release of their pending bills.
The contractors further said that they had taken loans from banks to execute JJM works and are now struggling to repay the loans and bear the accumulating interest due to the prolonged delay in payments.
With emotional appeals, some contractors said their families were suffering because of the financial crisis and urged the Centre as well as the J&K Government to intervene immediately.
They appealed to the authorities to address their genuine grievances and release all pending JJM bills without further delay. (JKNS)
