In a tragic news from Sangli district of Maharashtra, a 35-year-old contractor, Harshal Patil, allegedly died by suicide due to financial stress. He had reportedly not received ₹1.5 crore in pending payments from the Maharashtra government for work done under the Jal Jeevan Mission scheme.
Senior NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil on Wednesday claimed a young contractor has committed suicide in Maharashtra's Sangli district due to corruption, harassment by government authorities, and delay in receiving payments for work done under the Jal Jeevan Mission.
However, Minister Gulabrao Patil clarified that no work is registered in Harshal Patil's name, no bill is pending under the scheme, and there is no record of his work with the Sangli Zilla Parishad.
He was a resident of Tandulwadi village in Walwa taluka, Sangli district.
Harshal had reportedly taken a loan from a local moneylender to complete the project work. However, delays in government payments led to mounting pressure and a financial crisis. On Wednesday, he hanged himself from a tree on his farm.
The incident has sparked outrage across the region. NCP leader Jayant Patil criticised the state government, saying, “A promising young contractor lost his life due to negligence and a corrupt system. This is the result of government insensitivity and a failing economy.”
Patil also alleged that the government sanctioned large tenders before elections without proper budget planning, and contractors are now suffering without payments.
Local residents are demanding accountability, and the police have launched an investigation into the case.
Who was Harshal Patil?
Harshal Patil was an engineer by education and used to work as a government contractor. He was a resident of Walwa taluka in Sangli, the home district of Jayant Patil.
A bill of Rs 1.4 crore for works done under the Jal Jeevan Mission was pending, and the contractor had taken a loan of Rs 65 lakh to complete the tasks under the government-run scheme, the Congress claimed.
Harshal was the eldest in the family and is survived by his wife, a five-year-old daughter, two younger brothers, and his parents.
