Srinagar, Dec 13: People’s Conference (PC) president and MLA Handwara, Sajad Gani Lone on Friday raised concerns over the recent decision by the State Forest Corporation (SFC) to revise tendering limits for contractors.
In a meeting held on December 03, 2024, the SFC reduced the permissible limit for small contractors in the tendering process from 30,000 cubic feet to 10,000 cubic feet.
Lone in a statement said this decision unfairly targets small contractors, the poorest among the contractor categories, and will reduce their share in timber extraction contracts. “Timber extraction is largely labour-intensive, and the extraction capabilities do not drastically change between the categories of contractors,” he said.
“The move lacks plausible justification,” the MLA said. He called for a re-evaluation of the decision. (KNS)