Sand contractors in Andhra Pradesh are up in arms over unpaid bills by the state government and JP Ventures Limited, the organization responsible for supplying sand in the state. The contractors, who have been supplying thousands of tonnes of sand for the past two years, are now threatening to commit suicide if their bills are not paid immediately.
On Wednesday, the contractors staged a protest at the APMDC building in Amaravati and warned that they would end their lives if the government did not respond. The contractors accused JP Ventures of pocketing money meant for the state government and not making timely payments to them.
According to the agreement, JP Ventures was supposed to pay the contractors within a month of receiving the sand supply. However, it has been two years since the bills were last paid. The problem arose when JP Ventures took money from customers but failed to pay the state government and contractors on time. Having exhausted all options, the contractors are now threatening to take drastic measures.
The state government needs to take this matter seriously and make arrangements to pay the bills immediately. Failure to do so could result in a tragic loss of life. It is time for the government to step up and ensure that the contractors are paid for their services without further delay. One of the major failures of the TDP government was the sand issue and if no course correction is done, then even YSRCP government may face the ire of voters soon.
