Manipur contractors demand to give contracts to local contractors

Imphal: Manipur Hills and Plain Contractors’ Association (MHPCA) has demanded the government to give contract works to the local contractors instead of giving them work to non-local firms to save lives of local contractors.

In connection with the demand, members of the association staged sit-in in front of Public Works department, Khoyathong, here on Wednesday.

Joint secretary of MHPCA Mayanglangbam Sarat Singh told reporters that local contractors have been sidelined in providing most of the contract works, including national highway construction works.

All the major contract works are handed over to non-local companies including NHIDCL, BIPL and others, he said.

When the local-contractors get contract works, local labours and local engineers are hired. However, as most of the contract works are handed over to non-local companies or firms, the local contractors, labours and engineers which are engaged as side engineers face huge problems, he added.

Protestors demonstrated the protest with slogans “Save lives of local contractors”, “Handover the national highway work of NHIDCL to local contractors” and others.

He appealed the authority concerned to hand over contract works to the local contractors for the welfare of not only for the local labours, engineers but also for the state.

The demonstrators said apart from NHIDCL contract works are implemented by firms like BIPL, Key Stone, Simplex Company and JR Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. This has affected the economy of the sate, they said.