Pune: Government Contractors Protest Over Pending Bills; Threaten Work Stoppage From March 1
Pune, 28th February 2025: Government contractors have warned of a statewide work stoppage if 70% of their pending bills are not cleared by the end of this month. Various contractors’ associations have also decided to stage protests in Mumbai during the upcoming budget session in March.
Before the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, the government approved projects worth thousands of crores and issued work orders to contractors. While some projects have been completed and others are still in progress, payments for these works remain unpaid. Contractors across the state are awaiting payments totaling approximately ₹46,000 crore. With no bill clearances for the past six months, contractors are facing severe financial difficulties.
In a unique protest, contractors brought a dumper truck to the Central Building office of the Chief Engineer of the Public Works Department in Pune and performed a ritual plea before the deity Potraj, symbolizing their distress. The protest was organized by the Pune Contractors’ Association, Maharashtra Hotmix Association, and the Builders’ Association of India.
During the demonstration, contractor organizations declared that if funds were not allocated in the budget session, all ongoing works across the state would be halted.
Prominent attendees included Pune Contractors’ Association President Ravindra Bhosale, Maharashtra Hotmix Road Contractors’ President Baba Gunjate, and other key representatives such as Anil Jagtap, Sanjeev Vohra, M.S. Punjabi, Bhalchandra Hulsure, Bipin Dantal, Sagar Thakar, Shailesh Khaire, Vishwas Theurkar, Uday Salve, Tushar Pustake, Ashok Dhamdhere, Rajendra Kanchan, Kailas Ingle, and Digvijay Nimbalkar, along with around 200 contractors.
Speaking at the protest, Ravindra Bhosale expressed hope that Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar would make special budgetary provisions to clear the outstanding dues of government contractors in the upcoming session.
