Strike was deferred after MLA Salman Sagar assured contractors that their long-pending payment issue would be raised with the Chief Minister for early resolution.

Aqzar Raheel 

Srinagar, May 21(KNZ/TMJ): The Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) Contractors Association on Thursday deferred its ongoing strike after 11 days of protest at the Chief Engineer Complex in Rajbagh, Srinagar, following assurances from MLA Salman Sagar regarding resolution of pending payment issues.

The association, led by Coordinator Nazir Ahmad Mir, had been protesting over pending payments exceeding ₹1,500 crore under the Jal Jeevan Mission and Public Health Engineering (PHE) sector.

Contractors had alleged that payments for works executed since September 2024 were yet to be released, causing financial distress to contractors, labourers, suppliers and others associated with the projects.

During his visit to the Chief Engineer Complex in Rajbagh, MLA Salman Sagar assured the contractors that the issue has received attention at the party level and would be taken up with the Chief Minister at the earliest.

“The concerns of the contractors are genuine and the matter will be taken up with the Chief Minister for an early resolution,” Salman Sagar said while interacting with the protesters.

Following the assurance, the association decided to defer the strike.

Nazir Ahmad Mir thanked the MLA for visiting the protest venue and expressed gratitude to contractors across Jammu and Kashmir for maintaining unity and patience during the agitation.(KNZ/TMJ)