Baramulla contractors boycott tendering amid royalty dispute
Srinagar: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the Baramulla Contractors Association has announced a boycott of the tendering process until essential construction material like sand, bajri and gravel is made available, a move likely to delay several development projects in the district.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the decision comes amid an ongoing standoff between authorities and quarry and tipper owners over payment of royalty on minor minerals. The dispute has disrupted supply chains, leaving contractors without material to execute government works.
Chairman Bashir Ahmad Sheikh said contractors are facing severe shortages with only around two months left in the working season. “Without material, how is it possible to start work? Unless material is made available, we cannot participate in any tendering process,” he said.
Baramulla MLA Javed Hassan Baig also expressed concern, saying development cannot proceed when quarry owners are deprived of royalty and tipper operators cannot transport material.
Quarry owners, labourers and transporters dependent on the mineral trade have also been hit, with thousands of families facing financial hardship.
