Coimbatore: Contractors executing works for the city corporation recently petitioned the chief minister’s special cell demanding at least a portion of the payment due to them.As many as 75 members of the Coimbatore Corporation Contractors Association are executing road laying, drainage and building construction for the civic body, president R Udhaya Kumar said.
“Contractors would submit bills claiming payment once the assigned work is complete.
After verifying the bills, the corporation commissioner would sign them and send them to the accounts department.
The department would release the amount in instalments.
The initial payment would be made about two months from the date of bill submission,” he said.“But in the last two years, bill processing has been slow.
Contractors received payments mid-January.
Rs 80 crore is pending with the corporation till February.
We request the government to take steps to release at least Rs 20 crore immediately,” Kumar said.
“Also, the corporation commissioner has not signed any bill in the last four months.”The association requested Pandian, who has been transferred, to sign and process the submitted bills before vacating office.
“The commissioner knows what kind of works are being carried out.
So, it would be easy for him to verify and sign the bills.
Once the new commissioner takes charge, he will have to learn about the works before signing bills, which would delay our payments by another four to five months.
Many contractors are facing enormous pressure from banks and are staring at huge losses,” Kumar added.