Kochi: Contractors' stir hits corporation's works

Kochi: The city corporation has failed to find a solution to end the indefinite strike launched by civic contractors in June first week. As the contractors have boycotted works which were already tendered and awarded to them, the corporation is now engaging daily labourers for emergency cleaning works. The cash-strapped civic body has to bear the additional expenses for the temporary arrangement made for drain and canal cleaning works. Since its financial health doesn’t permit to take a bank loan to clear the contractors’ bill dues, the civic authorities are probing the possibility to source some other funds to pay arrears.

“Representatives of the contractors’ association have been invited for negotiations on Thursday. The civic body is trying to find some stop-gap arrangement to clear a small part of their arrears,” said Mayor Soumini Jain. “We are finding it tough to meet even the expenses for day to day functioning since the revenue income is now less than the expenditure.”

Meanwhile, works committee chairman P.M. Haris told DC that the corporation had to engage temporary workers for monsoon sanitation drive as the state government has stipulated it. “It will not incur a huge financial burden to the civic body,” he said. However, contractors alleged that it is because of the financial mismanagement of the corporation that it failed to pay the arrears. “We were forced to launch the strike during the monsoon when emergency cleaning works have to be carried out as we have no other option,” said a contractor.