A critical situation has emerged in the Kanpur Metro project as the Turkish construction company Gulermak, part of a joint venture with Indian firm Sam India, reportedly abandoned the city, leaving behind ₹80 crore in unpaid dues owed to 53 subcontractors. Gulermak was responsible for the underground segment of Corridor One and is now facing accusations of defaulting on its financial obligations after allegedly finishing its designated tasks.
Reports indicate that several subcontractors have not received payments for over ten months. Many of these contractors have claimed that payments were often delayed or staggered, despite the completion of the work as per contracts. The payment issues appear to have coincided with nationwide protests against Turkey’s diplomatic stance during the recent conflict between India and Pakistan, escalating tensions in the region.
On Monday, nine affected contractors took action by approaching the District Magistrate’s office to file a formal memorandum regarding the unpaid dues. Among the contractors awaiting payment are Metro Marble (₹3.70 crore), Radiant Services (₹1.20 crore), Shreyans Infratech (₹1.70 crore), S Interior (₹74.80 lakh), MD Ehasan Painter (₹39.80 lakh), Vinod Gupta Enterprises (₹8.54 lakh), Nandan Prefab (₹29.50 lakh), and Shri Balaji Enterprises (₹21.50 lakh).
One of the contractors, Gajendra Singh from Radiant Services, highlighted the predicament, stating that only half of the payment has been received so far. He, along with others, expressed frustration that senior officials from Gulermak appear to have vacated Kanpur and have become unresponsive to inquiries, with phone calls yielding only evasive responses.
Panchanan Mishra, Joint General Manager (Public Relations) at the Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC), confirmed that work on four stations had been completed and that Gulermak was fully compensated for these. However, he clarified that unpaid contractors were not directly engaged by UPMRC but were subcontracted by Gulermak. Mishra further noted that the metro authority retains 5 percent of the contract value in reserve, which is typically released a year after project completion. He added that if Gulermak fails to pay the contractors, UPMRC would be required to release this held payment.
Efforts to reach out to Gulermak for a statement or clarification regarding the situation have so far gone unanswered, raising significant concerns about regulatory oversight and the protections afforded to subcontractors involved in large-scale infrastructure projects with foreign partners. The unfolding crisis underscores the complexities of cross-border collaborations in the construction sector and calls into question the stability of financial commitments by international firms operating in India.
