Bihar Minister Promises Phased Bill Clearance; Civil Contractors Postpone Protest

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective. First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming. Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day. Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features. Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Tuesday assured that all pending bills of small contractors in the State will be settled in a phased manner, stating that the government is moving forward with a clear plan to clear dues and support contractors. Roads & Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy also promised to resolve the issues faced by contractors. Speaking to representatives of the Builders Association of India, who met him at Praja Bhavan during a courtesy visit, the Finance Minister said the Finance department had been ensuring continuous monthly payments, keeping in view the difficulties faced by small contractors. During the meeting, the contractors requested the release of their pending dues, to which Mr. Bhatti Vikramarka responded positively. The contractors’ representatives had earlier held discussions with Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy. Addressing the media later, Minister Komatireddy said the previous government had left behind huge unpaid liabilities. “In the R&B department alone, more than ₹4,000 crore dues are pending from the previous regime. Even agencies that undertook Yadadri Temple works are yet to receive nearly ₹350 crore,” he said. Minister Komatireddy stated that although the State is facing financial pressure, the government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, is giving top priority to clearing pending bills. He said, “During the last 30 months, we have released over ₹3,000 crore to contractors in the R&B department, and another ₹2,500 crore is yet to be paid. At one stage, pending liabilities across departments touched nearly ₹8,000 crore.” Following this, State Chairman of the Builders Association of India Ravinder Reddy said the association was satisfied with the Deputy Chief Minister’s assurance regarding the clearance of pending bills. He announced that the proposed ‘Chalo Hyderabad’ programme scheduled for June 18 has been postponed. On behalf of the associatio