Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Nov 1: Following the intense pressure from the administration, Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd (KRCL) has coughed-up Rs 70 lakh and assured to clear the remaining Rs 1.90 crore on account of liability created by its contractor-an Andhra based company, which had left the local labourers, contractors and suppliers in lurch by not clearing their payments.
Reliable sources told EXCELSIOR that Andhra Pradesh based company M/s Apex Encon was engaged by the KRCL for the construction of tunnels on Katra-Dharam Railway Section and the company left the work without making full payment to the local labourers, contractors and suppliers.
When the issue came to the notice of Deputy Commissioner Reasi, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, he got the matter enquired and finally the liability of M/s Apex Encon turned out to be Rs 2.60 crore.
As M/s Apex Encon had willfully withheld the payment dues of the stake holders and service providers, which is a criminal act, the District Development Commissioner made up mind to get FIR lodged against the company and its five officers namely Nikanti Rama Rao, MD Apex Encon Vishakhapatnam, Anjanya Verma and D N Raju, Directors, M V S Krishna Raju, Project Coordinator and Shiva Rama Krishna Prasad, Site Incharge.
The administration even directed the KRCL to seize all the machinery of M/s Apex Encon till the payment is cleared by the company. On getting written communiqué from the district administration vis-à-vis registration of FIR against Andhra-based company, SP Reasi wrote to M/s Apex Encon asking the company to get the liabilities cleared failing which stern action as recommended by the DC would be taken against its officers.
In the meantime, Deputy Commissioner asked the KRCL to take up the clearance of liability with the M/s Apex Encon for being its principal employer and get the amount deposited in an account created specially for the purpose so that long pending liabilities of the contractors and suppliers could be cleared, sources said.
Succumbing to the intense pressure from the district administration, the KRCL has deposited Rs 70 lakh in the account and assured to get the remaining Rs 1.90 crore deposited within shortest possible time. The KRCL has stated that it was in constant touch with M/s Apex Encon for settlement of the issue, sources said.
The administration has also conveyed to M/s Apex Encon through KRCL that it will go for confiscation of Rs 5 crore worth machinery of the company still lying at the project site if the pending amount was not deposited in the account within shortest possible time.
“It has been decided that in case of any reluctance in depositing the remaining amount the machinery will be seized by initiating legal procedure and then put to auction for clearing the liability of local labourers, contractors and suppliers”, sources said.
Reports said that the intense pressure from the district administration has generated hope among the local contractors and suppliers about getting their dues after a long time.
Follow our WhatsApp channel