Khammam, Telangana (ANI): Ch Ayodhya, a contractor who carried out developmental works under the 'Mana Ooru - Mana Badi' programme, has alleged that he has not been paid atleast Rs 11 lakh worth of dues by the concerned officials, saying that he is being harrased by being made to run to pillar to post to get the dues paid.

Saying that his bills have still not been cleared despite reassurances from officials, on Monday, he locked the main gate of the Mandal Parishad Primary School in the Danavaigudem area in Khammam district.

The gate was finally unlocked only after the police and the Mandal Education Officer (MEO) assured him that steps would be taken to clear his bills as soon as possible.
The contractor, who hails from Danavaigudem, said he is physically challenged. During the tenure of the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government, he executed and completed several development works worth Rs 21 lakh at the school under the 'Mana Ooru - Mana Badi' programme.

The works were inaugurated by the then Palair MLA Kandula Upender Reddy. However, concerned officials delayed processing the payment for nearly two years, claiming that the relevant bills were lost somewhere. He was told that Movement Books (MBs) were missing and they could not find them, Ayodhya said.

After some time, Rs 10 lakh was received during the execution of the work, while a balance of over Rs 11 lakhs was still due to him, Ayodhya added.
The contractor said he was being subjected to harassment and made to run from pillar to post. Even after approaching the District Collector, the issue remained unresolved.

After taking the matter to the notice of Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy's camp office in-charge, Dayakar Reddy, the officials took the initiative to process the bill online. However, the bills were not visible in the online system.

Subsequently, when he visited the municipal office and met the Assistant Engineer (AE), the District Educational Officer (DEO) and the Collector, he was told that only the bill amount was officially processed, forwarded and would be paid.

But instead of processing the Rs 11 lakh bill due to him, the sum was reduced and has not been paid despite four years having passed.
The works were carried out using borrowed funds, with the previous Headmistress lending Rs 3 lakh at an interest rate of 3 per cent per month, the contractor explained.

Ayodhya said he also borrowed Rs 2 lakh from a local Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader named Ramana, as well as funds from others at interest, to complete the project.

He expressed his anguish over the mounting interest burden resulting from the loans taken to cover the investment costs while awaiting payment of the bills.

The school headmaster, Daravath Bhadru, stated that when the contractor locked the school gate, he contacted Khanapuram police; the station Circle Inspector (CI) and Sector Inspector (SI) visited the spot and spoke to the contractor as well as higher officials.

The MEO also spoke to the higher officials to enquire where the funds were stuck and assured the contractor that steps would be taken to clear his bills as soon as possible. Then the contractor unlocked the gate, letting the staff and students in, the headmaster said.

State BJP State Chief spokesperson NV Subhash criticised the Revanth Reddy government and has demanded the immediate release of the pending dues, underlining that there are several instances of contractors threatening to commit suicide over non-clearance of pending bills.

"This shows the financial implications of the Telangana government without any financial feasibility, without doing any mathematics. The Revanth Reddy government has given a lot of hope to the people of Telangana during the 2023 elections. This incident happened in the Khammam assembly. Mere Rs 13 lakhs have to be given to the contractor out of Rs 26 lakhs in that," he said.

The BJP leader has alleged that similar problems have occured across the state, especially in Hyderabad, adding, "There are so many incidents which are happening in Telangana, especially in Hyderabad, on the GHMC premises also. There are many contractors who have threatened to commit suicide because their bills are pending, as the GHMC doesn't have any money. The government is responsible because small contractors are also not getting their due amount. We demand immediate release or you make some kind of arrangements."

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This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.