Almora. The Hills Contractor Welfare Association, Almora on Saturday submitted a memorandum to the Chief Engineer Level-II, PWD Almora and the Chief Development Officer, Almora, protesting against the tender conditions issued by the Government of Uttarakhand / Chief Engineer and Head of Department, PWD Uttarakhand, Dehradun under the K.E. Procurement Act 2025.
The association strongly opposed the requirement of 200% turnover and 80% similar work experience in two-bid tenders, stating that such conditions would severely harm the interests of local and small contractors. According to the association, these stringent terms would allow only large contractors to participate, while local contractors—who have been working honestly and efficiently for years—would be sidelined.
They further highlighted that local contractors, especially in the remote and hilly regions of the state, are well-acquainted with the geographical challenges and have successfully executed projects even with limited resources. Imposing such high eligibility criteria, they argued, is neither practical nor fair.
The association warned that if the government does not amend the tender conditions soon, the contractor community will be forced to launch an agitation. They demanded that the criteria for turnover and work experience be made more realistic, ensuring equal opportunities for local contractors as well.
Those present during the submission of the memorandum included Association President Prayag Singh Bisht, General Secretary Surendra Belwal, Vice President Gopal Singh Chauhan, Treasurer Akram Khan, Jagdish Bhatt, Media In-charge Puran Paliwal, Joint Secretary Jitendra Sigwal, Rajendra Durgapal, Jeevan Bhandari, Girish Pandey, along with several other contractors.
