Shillong: Contractors working on Jal Jeevan Mission projects across Khasi and Jaintia Hills are demanding their money. They met with Public Health Engineering Chief Engineer Robert Sing Nongbri on Monday. They want answers on why bills remain unpaid after three to four years of finished work. They are broke. The state government recently announced a sanction of 336.62 crore rupees for the water scheme.
Association vice-president JTS Thongni led the delegation. They expected the new cash to settle the debt. Thongni told reporters, “We were encouraged after hearing that the Centre had sanctioned the amount. We thought this would finally pave the way for the release of our pending bills.” Instead, the meeting brought no firm dates.
Nongbri claimed the 336 crore is tied to the 2026-27 financial year. He cited official formalities as the reason for the delay. The contractors left the office frustrated by the vague response. The union reports that the ongoing debt is causing deep financial strain for those who finished work years ago. They want a real plan for payment instead of more excuses.
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