Imphal, September 25: Reacting strongly against the State Govt's inability to pay the contractor's bills of four Engineering Departments amounting to over Rs 100 crores despite issuing cheques to the contractors in March this year, Manipur Hills and Plain Contractor Association has today demanded the Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh who is also the Finance Minister to step down from his post if he cannot clear the bills.

Interacting with media persons at the Press Club today, the Association members informed that contractors of the four departments - PWD, Electricity, IFCD and PHED were issued cheques by the State Govt in March for withdrawing their respective bills.

However none of the contractors have been able to encash the cheques as the Chief Minister who also holds the post of Finance Minister has not issued necessary encashment permission till today.

They also charged that the CM besides withdrawing a sum of Rs 5 crores on the pretext of buying materials for the PWD Store Div and later giving the said amount to one/two contractor without purchasing any Store materials also released a sum of Rs 8 crores on June 10 and gave it to a few contractors who are very close to him.

The total sum of Rs 8 crores which was released on June 10 included Rs 3.4 crores from Bishnupur Div, Rs 1.5 crores from Imphal West, Rs 1 crore from Senapati district and Rs 2 Crores from Tamenglong div.

The sum was later distributed to a few selected contractors after deducting 10% as the Chief Minister's share, rued the members.

Informing that out of the Rs 609 crores provided by the Centre as soft loan to the State Govt, a total sum of Rs 80 crores was also included for paying the pending bills of the contractors, said the the members adding that the CM released the bills of only a few contractors while completely ignoring the majority of the contractors.

They also lamented that the concerned engineers would never issued a cheque until and unless 12 % of the bill amount was given to them as share for the UGs.

The deduction of such a large chunk of money from the Contractor's bill by both the officials and the UGs naturally leaves the contractors with very little to spend on his work, added the members.

Stating that the involvement of Ministers, police officials, engineers and UGs in contract works by sending out their men have driven the professional contractors out of their profession, charged the members adding that the woes of the contractors have been further compounded by the CM's habit of allotting contract works to a few selected con-tractors without conducting the tender in an open manner.

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