Guwahati: In a stark and urgent appeal, contractors in Dhubri district, Assam, have written to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, warning of financial ruin and even suicide if their long-pending bills for Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) projects are not cleared.
The Dhubri District Public Health Workers Department’s Contractor Association submitted a memorandum detailing their plight, stating they have been forced to advance their own money to keep the work going, pushing them to the brink of financial collapse.
A representative from the association said, “Our Dhubri district is very backward and our contractors are also financially weak. If we don’t get the bills on time, we have no choice but to commit suicide.”
The contractors claim that the prolonged delay in payments has stalled several projects, leaving materials to rot at work sites. They have implored the government to either allow them to resume work with new funds or to release payments for the work already completed. Adding to their woes are the new, “impractical” rules introduced by a new, allegedly understaffed ‘Third Party’ monitoring team. They argue that since much of the work was executed under the supervision of the previous team and officers, they cannot retroactively comply with fresh guidelines.
The contractors also raised concerns over new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) being imposed at the billing stage after the work is already done, which they say is both unfair and impractical. The association has called on the Public Health Technical Department to act swiftly to prevent a human tragedy and ensure the successful completion of the JJM, a flagship scheme aimed at providing safe drinking water to thousands of households in the region.
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