A Turkish company, Gulermak, working on the underground section of a metro project in Kanpur fled the city with unpaid dues of Rs 80 crore. The company, which had not paid 53 contractors for about ten months, delayed payments after protests over Turkey's role in India-Pakistan war.
As per the contractors, all the top officials of this Turkish company have allegedly fled the city. When contacted on the phone, they gave evasive answers and avoided the issue, they said, reported India Today.
When the complaint was made to Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) officers, no action was taken. After this, nine contractors reached the District Magistrate's (DM) office and submitted a written complaint.
As per the contractors, the payment was delayed after protests across the country over Turkey’s role in the Indo-Pak war. The work up was done by a joint venture of Indian company Sam India and Turkish construction company Gulermak. The company gave work to 53 sublet firms. The company got the work done and kept a large amount pending and made small payments instead.
Out of 53 contractors who built the section of the underground station, representatives of nine contracting firms reached the DM office on Monday and submitted a memorandum demanding the release of varied amounts due to them.
Meanwhile, the metro’s parent body, UPMRC, insisted it cleared all payments to the Turkish firm Gülermak, reported The 420 website.
According to Financial Express, the Kanpur Metro, managed by the UPMRC, partially opened in 2019 after the approvals in 2017 – the fastest constructed mass rapid transit system in the world.
