Pending bills: North Karnataka contractors threaten to stop civil works

Dharwad: The North Karnataka Civil Contractors' Association has threatened to stop all ongoing civil works from July 1, demanding clearance of pending bills.

Speaking to media persons in Dharwad on Saturday, Association president Subhash Patil said the government had been dodging them for the last eight months and has failed to clear bills to the tune of Rs 19,000 crore.

He said that the chief minister, during the contractor's convention in November 2023, had promised to clear all bills in 45 days. "However, not a single rupee has been cleared. Bills amounting to Rs 4,000 crore are pending with PWD, Rs 8,000 crore with major irrigation department and Rs 5,000 crore from other departments, including RDPR and health," he added.

The association is receiving complaints that bills of contractors paying bribes are getting cleared.

"The association has decided to stop all ongoing civil works of government from July 1 and go on indefinite strike. Works to the tune of Rs 12,000 crore are in progress in North Karnataka," he said.