Mumbai: Even as questions swirl over other schemes' funds being squeezed after the 'Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin' scheme, contractors working for the public works department say they too are feeling the pinch of a cash crunch. Bills worth crores are pending for the department's works, and the state has begun moving to resolve the problem.
A meeting of contractors' associations has been called for October 28 under PWD minister Shivendraraje Bhosale. To be held in Mantralaya, it will take up the contractors' pending bills and other difficulties. A letter from the department says the discussion will follow the points raised earlier in a memorandum by the contractors' federation and the engineers' association.
The key question is whether the October 28 meeting will only talk, or will announce a fixed deadline for clearing dues and a plan for releasing funds. Contractors expect the meeting to make clear whether the arrears will be paid in stages.