Pune: A 43-year-old govt-approved contractor from Amravati district allegedly died by suicide at his farm on Wednesday amid financial distress over nearly Rs 2.5 crore in payments that contractors’ associations said had been pending for almost two years from the public works, tribal development and rural development departments.The contractor from Jarud in Warud taluka is survived by his wife, daughter and young son.Following his death, the Maharashtra State Contractors Federation, State Engineers’ Association and Maharashtra State Water Supply Contractors’ Association have written to CM Devendra Fadnavis seeking urgent intervention to clear pending payments and address the financial difficulties being faced by contractors.According to the associations, the contractor had repeatedly travelled to Mumbai and approached officials seeking release of the pending payments. They said the prolonged delay had caused financial difficulties and distress.The associations claimed his death was the ninth suicide in the past one-and-a-half years by a contractor in the state that they had linked to delays in govt payments. They said contractors had been raising the issue for the past two years through hunger strikes, protests, road blockades and marches, but govt had not held a meeting with their representatives.“After repeated appeals, protests and follow-ups, contractors are still waiting for their payments. How many more contractors have to die before govt wakes up?” said Maharashtra State Contractors Federation, State Engineers’ Association and Maharashtra State Water Supply Contractors’ Association president engineer Milind Bhosale.The associations said they had earlier also raised the issue with govt. Last week, they listed out austerity measures govt should take in view of the drought situation. Last month, contractors from the state met Congress MP and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi over pending payments of Rs 1 lakh crore from state govt.A joint online meeting of office-bearers of the three organisations from across the state will be held at 4 pm on Oct 10 to decide their next course of action, Bhosale said.The associations have already proposed a 10-point austerity plan for the state as it grapples with drought and mounting financial pressure. They have sought cuts in govt spending, including a 50% reduction in legislators’ salaries and pensions, curbs on official perks and tours, and a review of free-distribution schemes.
