Construction Entrepreneurs Padlock Offices in Dhanusha Over Payment Issues

Dhanusha. The Construction Entrepreneurs Association, Dhanusha has padlocked various offices citing disruption in the payment process. On Wednesday, construction entrepreneurs padlocked the Infrastructure Development Office and the Treasury, Accounts and Controller's Office.

Construction entrepreneurs have become agitated as payments for projects completed by the last day of the financial year or those in the final stages have not been made. Former General Secretary of the Construction Entrepreneurs Association, Dhanusha, Binod Karna, stated that construction entrepreneurs are in a serious financial crisis due to the stoppage of payments at a time when development budgets are supposed to be spent by the end of Ashar.

He alleged that payments have been stopped despite the completion of various road, building, irrigation, and other infrastructure projects and the fulfillment of necessary paperwork. He further stated that entrepreneurs are in further trouble as the government has not made payments, while they are in a situation where they need to pay bank guarantees, workers' wages, suppliers of construction materials, and bank loans. 

Meanwhile, Sanjeev Kumar Sah, Chief of the Infrastructure Development Office, Janakpurdham, said that the office's work has been affected after construction entrepreneurs and consumer committees jointly padlocked the office. 

He informed that the Treasury, Accounts and Controller's Office had sent them a letter to stop payment for the non-residential building construction title, stating that prior approval was not taken, and that payment was halted after being told to make the payment only after obtaining an order to remove obstacles from the Ministry of Finance.