Warning from the United Forum of All Odisha Contractors Association 70,000 Odisha Contractors

State-wide Construction Halt from 20February 2026; Contractors to move to the Streets

BHUBANESWAR, 13 February 2026: Three major organizations representing approximately 70,000 contractors—the backbone of Odisha’s development—namely the All Orissa Contractors’ Association, All Odisha Contractors’ Welfare Association, and All Odisha Electrical Contractors’ Association, have formed a United Forum (MilitaMahamancha) and issued a final warning to the government to fulfill their 8-point charter of demands.

Under the leadership of the Joint Forum’s Convener, Shri Anil Kumar Mahalik, a memorandum has been submitted to the Honorable Chief Minister, Shri Mohan Charan Majhi. Through this letter, the Association has made it clear that if the government does not consider there demands by February 18, 2026, all ongoing construction work in the state will be halted indefinitely from February 20, 2026, and a massive protest will be staged on the streets of the capital – Lower PMG, Bhubaneswar.

Key Demands:

1. Cancellation of Circular: Immediate withdrawal of Works Department Circular No. 07764600022025173 (dated 03.01.2026) and Limiting the Coating of Its to SoR that is 0.00% of the base price.
2. S.O.R. Fixation: Regular annual fixation of the Schedule of Rates (S.O.R.) as per codal provisions if not yearly increment of 15% over SoR each Year.
3. Increase in Tender Limit: Raising the maximum tender value for Short Tender Call Notices from ₹5 lakhs to ₹10 lakhs.
4. One State, One Law: Implementation of a uniform Standard Bidding Document (SBD) across the state with the inclusion of an Arbitration Clause.
5. Mineral Resource Issues: Preparation of a list of functional mines and clear mention of the specific mine name in tender documents.
6. Penalty Waiver: Abolition of per-day penalty system during  Sanctionthe extension ofTime .
7. Price Escalation Accounting: Finalization of Escalation bill payment occurred between 2012 and 2019.
8. WAMIS Transfer: To eliminate undue delays due to WAMIS managementmaintained by Rural Development Department, to be transferred to the  Parent Department that is Works Department’s e-Procurement Cell.

Warning from the Joint Forum:

“A discriminatory attitude is being shown towards Odia contractors. If the government does not reach a permanent solution through discussion, ‘Odia Asmita’ (Odia Identity) and the state’s economic backbone will be at risk.Livelihood of around 74 lakh people who are associated directly or indirectly with the contractors will be at a stake . The government will be held entirely responsible for the disruption of public life caused by the upcoming work stoppage,” stated Convener Shri Mahalik.

The press conference was held in the presence of Shri Pravat Das ( Chairman , AOCA) ,Shri Anil Mahalik (President, AOCA), Shri Dilip Kumar Jena (Secretary, AOCA),Shri Jagadish Patra(President, AOCWA), Shri Bibhuti Jena (General Secretary, AOCWA),Shri Ashish Kumar Som (President, AOECA), Shri Bhagaban Biswal (General Secretary,AOECA) and other Contractors of the state .