Overview
- Contractors warned they will halt public works and stage protests in the first week of December if ₹33,000 crore in pending bills are not cleared by December 1.
- The association detailed arrears across departments, including about ₹12,000 crore in Major Irrigation and ₹9,000 crore in PWD, and pressed for immediate payments to smaller firms and GST reimbursement.
- Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told contractors to approach the courts on corruption claims, while Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said he would not yield to pressure and linked delays to past over-commitments.
- After a meeting on Saturday, Shivakumar cited a severe mismatch in Irrigation finances—about ₹200 crore in grants against roughly ₹17,000 crore in pending bills—and the association said he ordered immediate clearance of bills up to ₹50 lakh in Water Resources corporations.
- Contractors allege commission demands have risen since the current administration and the GBA were formed and vowed to release a December ‘corruption report card,’ as the government asked for written complaints with evidence.