GUNTUR: The Andhra Pradesh Building Contractors Association (SABCA), supported by the Builders Association of India (BAI) State Chapter, raised concerns over the State government’s failure to clear pending dues, which has pushed many contractors into financial distress.
At a meeting in Mangalagiri on Thursday, government-registered contractors (MSME category) passed resolutions demanding urgent action.
Contractors cited NITI Aayog and Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) guidelines, which mandate that 75% of part bills be cleared within 10 days and final bills within three months. They demanded an interest clause for delayed payments. Despite these norms, payments have been stalled for years, causing contractors’ bank accounts to be classified as Non-Performing Assets (NPA) and, in extreme cases, financial stress-related deaths.
The association condemned a Finance Department Secretary’s alleged dismissive remarks and criticised IAS officers for ignoring their plight. They demanded the immediate release of pending bills, adoption of the FIFO (First-In, First-Out) payment system, sufficient budget allocation for ongoing projects, and simplification of the CFMS portal for bill tracking.
Urging Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to intervene, they called for a resolution committee and warned that if payments remain stalled, ministers and MLAs should also forgo their honorariums.