Imphal, January 15: Small time contractors and suppliers working under the Electricity Dept have threatened to launch agitation if the pending bills of the works executed by them were not released at the earliest possible.

Talking to mediapersons in this connection at Keishampat here this afternoon, president of All Manipur Electricity Department Contractors and Suppliers Association L Birahari said small time contractors and suppliers working under the Department are facing lot of difficulties as pending bills of the works they have executed after having borrowed money from others have not been released.

The Association had urged the Minister and other officials concerned of the Department for releasing atleast Rs 6.34 crores from out of the total pending bills of Rs 20 crores for 140 members of the Association before last Ningol Chakkouba festival.

But nothing had been done in this regard, he said, adding that this is really unfortunate.

He further said the Association had thought that since the Dept could not release the pending bills in the last financial year the same might be released in the current financial year.

But in total contradiction, none of the members of the Association had been included in the fund sanctioned for the Department in three instalments recently.

This has compelled us to think that the Department is corrupt.

The Department had released Rs 3 crores in September last year.

But the amount had been hijacked by the higher up officials of the Department.

Moreover, there is strong apprehension that the fund released on November 10 last year as well as on January 11 this year too have been swindled and landed into the private pockets of the corrupt officials of the Dept.

Higher authorities concerned should take up action against such corrupt officials so that the public fund are not misuse in future, the Association demanded.

The matter had also been brought to the notice of the Chief Minister of the State through submission of various memorandum.

But no positive step have been ever taken up by the Government in this connection.

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