Assam: Dhubri contractors warn of suicide over unpaid Jal Jeevan Mission bills

Contractors working under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in Assam’s Dhubri district have threatened to take their own lives if their long-pending bills are not cleared.

 

The warning came through a memorandum submitted to the Executive Engineer of the Public Health Technical Department by the district unit of the Public Health Engineering Department’s Contractors’ Association.

 

The contractors said they have been forced to finance much of the ongoing work themselves as payments remain stuck for months. The memorandum describes their situation as “severe financial distress,” with no resources left to sustain the projects. “Our Dhubri district is very backwards, and our contractors are also financially weak. If we don’t get the bill on time, we have no choice but to commit suicide,” the appeal stated.

 

According to the contractors, work under JJM has been stalled for a long time because of the lack of funds, causing damage and daily losses of materials at sites. They have demanded that the department either resume project funding or clear bills proportionate to the work already completed.

 

The memorandum also raises concerns about the role of a new third-party monitoring agency. Contractors allege that the agency is understaffed and has introduced impractical rules that cannot be applied to work already completed under earlier guidelines. They argue that shifting standards midway has left them unable to comply.

 

Further complicating matters, new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) have been introduced after projects were executed, leaving contractors unable to adjust completed work to meet the revised criteria.

 

Unless payments are released soon, the association warned, both the livelihood of contractors and the progress of critical drinking water projects remain at risk.