Mumbai: A 43-year-old government-registered contractor from Jarud village in Warud taluka of Amravati district has allegedly died by suicide after struggling to recover pending payments from various Maharashtra government departments, including Tribal Development, Public Works and Rural Development. Wagdare's death was the ninth reported suicide by a contractor in Maharashtra linked to pending government payments.
Sunil Wagdare, an emerging contractor, allegedly took the extreme step by hanging himself in his agricultural field. He is survived by his wife, an elder daughter and a younger son.
Contractor struggled to recover pending dues
According to Milind Bhosale, President of Maharashtra State Contractors' Federation, the State Engineers' Association and the Maharashtra State Water Supply Contractors' Union, Wagdare had been struggling for the past two years to receive payments for government works. He had repeatedly travelled to Mumbai and approached officials to secure the release of his dues, but the payments remained pending, the associations claimed.
The prolonged financial strain reportedly pushed him into severe distress, as he struggled to support his family and began losing hope of receiving the money owed to him.
Associations question government over unpaid bills
The three organisations said Wagdare's death was the ninth reported suicide by a contractor in Maharashtra linked to pending government payments. They held the state government and officials of the concerned departments responsible for the situation and questioned how many more contractors would have to die before the government acted.
The associations said they had been raising the issue for the past two years through hunger strikes, protests, road blockades and marches to demand the release of outstanding payments. However, they alleged that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and both Deputy Chief Ministers had not held a meeting with their delegation to address the issue.
“How many contractors will have to die before the government wakes up?” Bhosale asked.
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Contractors to decide next agitation
Association president engineer Milind Bhosale said office-bearers from all three organisations across Maharashtra would participate in an online meeting scheduled for Saturday, October 10, at 4 pm. The meeting will discuss and decide the next course of agitation over the pending payments.
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