Telangana High Court
Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has expressed strong displeasure at the failure of the government to implement its earlier orders directing payment of bills to contractors who executed works under a government agreement.
The court questioned the Finance Department over the delay and asked how contractors could pay salaries to their employees if the government failed to clear pending bills.
The government argued that it could not pay the contractors’ bills because it had to prioritise paying salaries to government employees. However, the court rejected this explanation.
The court also dismissed a petition filed by Finance Department Principal Secretary Sandeep Sultania seeking exemption from personal appearance in a contempt case.
The issue arose after NCC Limited filed a petition in the High Court challenging the non-payment of Rs 180.17 crore in bills related to the construction and maintenance of drinking water schemes under Mission Bhagiratha.
These works were taken up to supply drinking water from the Srisailam project to the constituencies of Chevella, Vikarabad, Pargi, Tandur, and Maheshwaram.
Earlier, in August last year, the High Court had directed the government to clear the approved bills within two months. Since the orders were not implemented, NCC filed a contempt petition.
The case was heard on Friday by Justice T Madhavi Devi. The counsel for the petitioner informed the court that the agreement for construction and maintenance under the Bhagiratha project was signed with the government in 2015. Although tokens were issued for the bills, the payments were not made. The court had also ordered that the bills be paid with 6 percent interest, but the directions were not followed.
During the hearing, the government lawyer informed the court that Sandeep Sultania had sought an exemption from appearing in person due to the ongoing budget session.
However, the judge observed that the authorities had shown no respect for the court’s orders and had failed to provide a proper explanation for not implementing them. Therefore, the court refused to grant the exemption request.
The High Court directed the government to implement the previous orders and submit a report by March 13. If the orders are not complied with, Sandeep Sultania must appear before the court in person, the judge warned.
This post was last modified on March 7, 2026 10:05 am