Navi Mumbai PWD Contractor Dies by Suicide in Ulwe Over Unpaid Rs 2 Crore Bills

A 37-year-old Public Works Department contractor died by suicide at his residence in Sector 5 of Ulwe, Navi Mumbai, on Tuesday. The contractor allegedly faced severe financial distress after the department failed to clear pending dues amounting to Rs 2 crore for work he had completed.

The deceased contractor has been identified as Gajanan Bhujangrao Devkate. Following the incident, the Ulwe police registered an accidental death report. Police officials stated that no suicide note was recovered from the residence.

According to the Maharashtra State Contractors Federation and the State Engineers Association, Devkate had completed government infrastructure projects but had not received his payments despite multiple reminders. The association stated that the delay left Devkate struggling to repay his bank loans, clear wages owed to labourers, and pay for hired machinery.

Representatives of the contractors' association claimed that Devkate had repeatedly written to the concerned executive engineer seeking the release of his pending funds, but the official treated him and his representations insultingly. The association warned that contractors across the state would launch a protest in eight days if Devkate's pending dues are not handed over to his family and disciplinary action is not initiated against the officials responsible for delaying the payments.

The association highlighted that contractors across Maharashtra have been facing severe financial and psychological stress due to massive pending liabilities. Association state president Milind Bhosale noted that outstanding dues across the state have accumulated to Rs 86,000 crore, with Rs 28,000 crore owed by the PWD alone.

The federation has formally written to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and PWD Minister Shivendraraje Bhonsale demanding the immediate clearance of all pending payments to contractors.