Jammu MSMEs appeal Guv to direct PDD to release pending payments immediately

Jammu, Apr 29 (KNN) The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) body from Jammu, Bari Brahmana Industries Association (BBIA) has appealed to the Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik to issue necessary orders to the power development department (PDD) for immediate release of pending payments to unit holders and save them from closure.

The association observed the departmental circular of April 24, issued by the Commissioner Secretary of PDD, had resulted in blockage of Rs 200 crore funds for supply of material under the Saubhagya scheme and additional infrastructure scheme to the small-scale industries.

In a meeting held here, the members present in the meeting feared that if the situation continues, it would result in huge financial losses to them.

It said, the unit holders were not in a position to pay the wages, power bills, GST, bank interest and other government dues.

“We fear that the accounts of the unit holders might be converted into non-performing assets by banks, leaving them with no option but to close down their units in near future,” said Lalit Mahajan, President of BBIA, in a press release.

Mahajan said on the one side, the power department was claiming that the target of the scheme had been achieved by March 31 and on the other side, it was asking the executive engineers concerned to certify all bills that no material was lying unused in the field.

It was unjustified on part of the power department to withhold the payment of the units, which had supplied the material on time and had nothing do with whether the material had been used or not, he added.