Military Engineer Services threatens to stall construction at Defence Min over non-payment of dues

The Military Engineer Services Builders Association of India (MESBAI) has threatened to stall the construction work at the Ministry of Defence reportedly over non-payment of dues worth ₹1,600 crore.

The MESBAI looks after the basic constructional requirements of all the three wings of defence services along with taking care of their maintenance and renovation.

"The construction, maintenance and renovation work at various defence buildings will be stopped due to non-clearance of dues worth ₹ 1,600 crore. Also, lakhs of construction workers will become unemployed if the contractors are not paid their dues," MESBAI president Praveen Mahana said at a press conference.

There was no immediate reaction from the ministry on the matter.

"Since last year, MESBAI has been facing a lot of problems due to non-clearance of dues. The issue of non-payment has been raised with the Engineer-in-Chief, MoS Defence, Defence Minister and the PMO. However, the government has not given us any relief till date," Mahana alleged.

The Association added that if the funds were not released until October 28 and the contractors' payments were not made, its members would go on strike from October 29.