A majority of the contractors working with the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) on various projects are under a severe financial crisis with their uncleared bills mounting to nearly ₹300 crore.
YSRCP MP V. Vijaya Sai Reddy has assured them that the State government would clear the pending bills in a phased manner and has set February 2022 as the deadline to clear the dues.
The MP cites the COVID-19 pandemic and various financial issues as the reason for the delay in payments. He urges the contractors to continue their support to the municipal corporation, saying that about half of the pending bills will be cleared by the end of the calendar year and the rest in the first two months of 2022.
The contractors are pinning their hopes on the MP’s assurance.
Former BJP MLA P. Vishnu Kumar Raju has recently said that he has been speaking to a number of contractors over the issue and has never such seen a financial crisis before. Many contractors are not in a position to meet their daily needs.
He alleges that the government is not keen on solving the problem. “Several contractors have ended their lives in some parts of the State. The State government should extend assistance to their families,” he says.
Convenor of GVMC Contractors’ Association Chandramouli says that many contractors working in Visakhapatnam have run out of resources and are desperately waiting for arrears from the government. Some of them are forced to mortgage their gold ornaments for sustenance of their families, he says.
“They are hopeful that total arrears will be cleared by February 2022 as promised by Mr. Vijaya Sai Reddy,” says a contractor Veera Reddy.
