Malingaraya Pujar
CH NEWS
A court-ordered seizure at the Gadag District Administration Building on Thursday has drawn attention to years of delay in paying a contractor for completed government works.
Electronic office equipment was seized after the Gadag Additional District Sessions Court directed officials to recover unpaid dues, which had increased greatly because of accumulated interest.
The dispute goes back to 2012-13, when several development works were completed under an urban development project in Lakshmeshwar, Mulgund and Shirahatti towns.
Contractor S.S. Police Patil reportedly completed the assigned work within the required period. However, the district administration did not release the pending Rs 18 lakh for years. Repeated visits to government offices failed to settle the issue, leaving the contractor with no option but to approach the court for relief.
With the case pending, the unpaid principal continued to attract interest. The amount that was originally Rs 18 lakh has now risen to about Rs 60 lakh, according to the details presented in the case. The court took a serious view of the prolonged non-payment and ordered action to recover the dues. The order also allowed seizure of property and office items linked to the district administration.
During the seizure operation, court staff reached the administration building in the presence of officials. Gadag District Magistrate C.N. Sridhar was reportedly present as the process was carried out. A total of 35 office items were seized, including 19 computer monitors, 15 CPUs and a Xerox machine. Contractor’s lawyer S.S. Gattirdihal was also present with the relevant documents and a copy of the court order.
The incident has raised questions about delays in clearing legitimate government bills and the cost such delays can create for public funds. It also sends a clear message that unpaid dues can grow into a much larger burden when official action is delayed. For contractors, the episode underlines the importance of timely payments, while for officials, it shows that ignoring pending bills can eventually increase the financial burden on the government and create avoidable legal trouble and public embarrassment for the administration as well.
