Assam: Udalguri contractors seek completion of pending irrigation works

A CORRESPONDENT

ORANG: The Udalguri District Contractors’ Association (Irrigation) has demanded that contractors previously awarded general area development works under the Dhansiri Irrigation Project be allowed to complete their unfinished assignments.

The association staged a protest in Udalguri on August 29 and submitted a memorandum to the State Water Resources Minister, the department’s Secretary and the Chief Engineer, seeking their intervention.

According to the association, the Irrigation Department awarded the works through a tendering process in 2018. Although the selected contractors began work after receiving formal orders, the projects were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The subsequent reorganisation of departmental offices and formation of the Udalguri-Mazbat Irrigation Division reportedly created further complications.

The association opposed any move to combine the previously allotted works and invite fresh tenders, alleging that such a move could benefit large companies or contractors from outside the region while depriving local contractors of work.

It urged the government to honour the existing work orders and allow the concerned contractors to complete the pending works, warning of stronger protests if their demand is ignored.

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