Peoples Conference President and MLA Handwara Sajad Lone on Thursday accused the Jammu and Kashmir Government of jeopardising Kashmir’s already short working season by failing to revise contractor rates, saying the resulting deadlock has brought road macadamisation and other developmental works to a standstill.
Lone said contractors have been demanding a revision in rates to offset rising input costs, but the Government’s refusal to do so has stalled the execution of development projects across the Valley.
He urged the administration to resolve the dispute without delay.
In a statement, Lone pointed out that Kashmir’s short working season for undertaking developmental works, especially road-related projects & macadamisation, is being further constrained by external economic pressures.
He noted that global market disruptions inevitably trigger price volatility, and that the ongoing Iran–US conflict has disrupted supply chains, including petroleum-linked inputs, driving up the cost of materials essential for road works.
Despite the Government having earmarked funds under various R&B and other development schemes, Lone said execution on the ground is yet to commence even as the season is already well into July.
He attributed the delay to a standoff between contractors, who are demanding a revision of rates to reflect rising input costs, and the Government, which has so far remained unwilling to revise them, a deadlock that has brought road macadamisation and related development work to a complete standstill.
Lone was critical of the Government’s apparent reliance on budgetary figures and statistics to project progress, asserting that such data cannot substitute for tangible outcomes on the ground.
“The Government should not hide behind budgetary allocations and statistics to mask the failure to deliver tangible outcomes,” he said, urging authorities to act without further delay to break the impasse.
He appealed to the administration to resolve the rate dispute urgently and ensure that developmental works begin immediately, warning that any further delay risks losing the limited working season altogether, a setback that could push crucial infrastructure projects into the next year.
