Hyderabad: The Telangana Finance Department has unexpectedly turned down several pending payment requests for the 2024-2025 financial year, leaving many frustrated. This decision affects contractors, private companies, and retired government employees who were earlier told that their payments would be processed.
In March, the department issued payment tokens, assuring recipients that their bills would be cleared, even if it happened after the new financial year began. However, more than a month and a half passed with no action. Then, without warning, the department rejected the bills just a few days ago.
A representative from a private company expressed disappointment. “If the department had rejected the tokens before the financial year ended, we could have reapplied in time. But making us wait for nearly two months and then rejecting them is unfair,” he said. He urged the Finance Minister to step in and clarify the situation.
According to sources, the department is facing a serious fund crunch. Officials asked agencies to remain patient as they try to sort things out. The government had earlier drawn up plans to clear ₹40,000 crore worth of pending bills last year. But due to lack of funds, only about 30% of those payments were made.
Currently, around ₹1.45 lakh crore in bills are still waiting to be paid. The new Finance Secretary, Sandeep Kumar Sultania, is now reviewing the pending payments. The department is also examining the bills based on each department to decide on the next steps.
The delay and sudden rejection have added uncertainty for many, and all eyes are now on the finance department’s next move.
