Visakhapatnam: The city chapter of Military Engineering Services (MES) Builders Association of India joined the nation-wide tools down strike on Thursday demanding the immediate release of pending dues of more than Rs 1 lakh crore across the country.
MES builders include private contractors who construct civil works in defence areas. There are more than 72 branches of the association and Visakhapatnam is the only branch in the state.
G. Venkata Reddy, chairman of the local chapter, said that the MES Builders Association raised the issue last month in New Delhi during a meeting with the engineer-in- chief, who had assured to resolve the matter. Even after 15 days, the payments have not been released.
Highlighting their demands, the builders also submitted a memorandum to the chief engineer of Eastern Zone on Thursday. If there is no response from the government, they plan to go on an indefinite strike throughout the country.
