Srinagar, May 14, KNT: Peoples Democratic Party leader Iltija Mufti on Thursday accused the Jammu and Kashmir government of delaying payments to contractors working under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), saying many were facing mounting financial distress due to pending dues over the past two years.
Speaking to reporters during a protest by contractors, Mufti said those involved in developing infrastructure under the centrally sponsored Jal Jeevan Mission scheme had not received payments despite executing works linked to the project.
“The Central Government has the Jal Jeevan Mission scheme, which is being implemented here by the state government. Our contractors present here are working on preparing all the basic infrastructure related to this mission, but for the past two years their payments have been pending,” she said.
Mufti said many contractors had taken substantial bank loans to execute projects and were now struggling to repay them because of delayed payments and rising interest liabilities.
“These people have taken hefty loans from the bank, on which interest has been accumulating for the past two years, and they are not able to repay them,” she said.
According to Iltija Mufti, the government had assured contractors that payments would be released after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), but she alleged that the process had still not been completed.
“The government told them an MoU would be signed after which payments would be made, but even today that MoU has not happened,” she said.
The PDP leader said contractors had been protesting for the past five days and alleged that no representative from the government had approached them so far.
“We have not come here to do politics, but I will appeal to the government that it is with the help of these very contractors that you can carry out work in the state under the Jal Jeevan Mission. At least make their payments,” she added.
The Jal Jeevan Mission is a flagship central scheme aimed at providing tap water connectivity to rural households across the country. [KNT]
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