The protest has been called to draw attention to the mounting dues owed to government contractors working across departments, including Public Works, Rural Development, the Jal Jeevan Mission and Tribal Development. The federation has urged the state government to take urgent decisions to clear outstanding bills and address the financial difficulties faced by contractors.
The federation claims that government contractors have been awaiting payments for the past three years, particularly for work undertaken under the Public Works Department and the Jal Jeevan Mission. According to the organisation, the total outstanding amount across these departments is estimated at nearly ₹96,000 crore, although its broader estimate of pending dues ranges between ₹86,000 crore and ₹96,000 crore.
The prolonged delay in payments has reportedly placed contractors under severe financial pressure. The federation has claimed that nine contractors have died by suicide in Maharashtra over the past ten months because of financial distress.
Milind Bhosale, president of the state government contractors' association, said nine contractors associated with the organisation had died by suicide during the period. He said protests were being held outside all district collector offices to condemn the situation and demand action on the pending payments.
The federation has called for the immediate release of outstanding bills that have been certified and verified. It has also demanded that the government publish official figures detailing pending payments across various departments so that the extent of the outstanding liabilities can be established transparently.
Among its key demands, the organisation has sought the creation of an online dashboard and a permanent mechanism to ensure that payments are processed transparently and on time. It has also called for priority clearance of bills belonging to small and medium-sized contractors, who may face greater difficulties in managing prolonged payment delays.
The federation has further demanded the implementation of the earlier system associated with GST bills, seeking action on this issue alongside the clearance of pending dues.
With contractors staging protests across Maharashtra, the federation's demands centre on the timely settlement of verified bills, disclosure of department-wise outstanding payments and the establishment of a transparent payment mechanism. The claimed backlog of ₹86,000 crore to ₹96,000 crore and the reported deaths of nine contractors have intensified calls for an urgent response from the state government.
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