Kanpur, May 27: Gulermak, a Turkish company which was working to execute the underground section of the Kanpur metro in Uttar Pradesh, has reportedly fled the city. It is also learned that the Turkey-based firm has left the town without clearing dues worth INR 80 crore. Gulermak was said to be part of a venture with the Indian firm Sam India. It is reported that the Turkish company subcontracted the work to 53 firms, many of whom have not been paid for several months.

According to a report in India Today, Gulermak has not paid 53 contractors for about ten months. The Turkish firm has reportedly delayed payments to the subcontracted firms after protests erupted in the country over Turkey's role in the India-Pakistan conflict. The contractors said that all top officials of Gulermak have fled the city. It is also alleged that the officials gave evasive answers and avoided speaking about the issue when contacted. Kanpur Metro’s New Stretch Promises Faster, Smoother Commute.

Gulermak Subcontracted Work to 53 Firms

Latest developments suggest that no action was taken when the contractors complained to the Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) officers. After this, nine of the 53 contractors approached the District Magistrate's (DM) office and submitted a written complaint against Gulermak. In their complaint, the contractors claimed that their payment was delayed following protests in the country over Turkey's support for Pakistan amid India-Pakistan tensions.

Turkish Company Delayed Payments Following Anti-Turkey Protests

It is also alleged that the Turkish construction company gave work to 53 subcontract firms and got the job done from them. However, Gulermak is accused of keeping a large amount of pending payments with itself and making only small payments instead. Nine out of 53 contractors who built the section of the underground Kanpur metro station have requested the release of pending payments.

The nine contractors have been identified as Metro Marble, Radiant Services, Shreyans Infratech, S Interior, MD Ehasan Painter, Vinod Gupta Enterprises, Nandan Prefab, and Shri Balaji Enterprises. Gajendra Singh, contractor of the Radiant firm, said that so far, only 50 per cent of the payment has been made to the companies. Meanwhile, Panchanan Mishra, Joint General Manager (Public Relations), UPMRC, said that Gulermak has completed the work on four Corridor One stations in Kanpur as part of a joint venture. BSNL and ACES India Bring Seamless Voice & Data Connectivity to Kanpur Metro’s Underground Stations.

He also said that the metro paid Gulermak full price after taking over the stations. At present, the metro has a 5 per cent reserve payment of the total contract value that is supposed to be released after a year. However, Mishra said that the metro has to release the payment even if the Turkish company doesn't pay the contractors.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 27, 2025 08:57 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).