Where vendor payments get stuck
- GRN not raised. Goods received, portal not updated; the payment clock never starts on their side. On yours it did: the Act counts from acceptance, not from the GRN.
- Debit notes. Rejections and short-shipment deductions applied without agreement.
- Portal invoices “under query”. Rejected for formatting while the dues age.
- Payment runs. Monthly cycles that push a 45-day invoice to 75 days.
Recovering B2B dues in Kolkata: what is specific here
Kolkata’s trade in Burrabazar, Posta and Howrah still runs on relationships and post-dated cheques, so Section 138 and old-fashioned negotiation both matter. Jute mills, foundries and engineering units supply across eastern India and Bangladesh, and distributors here often carry dues for FMCG brands with slow reconciliation.
Main industries: jute and textiles, tea trading, engineering and foundry, leather and FMCG distribution.
Courts: Metropolitan Magistrate courts at Bankshall Court, Calcutta, and Alipore for Section 138; City Civil Court and the Calcutta High Court Commercial Division for recovery suits.
MSME claims: Udyam-registered micro and small suppliers in Kolkata file on MSME Samadhaan, heard by the West Bengal Micro and Small Enterprises Facilitation Council (Directorate of MSME, Government of West Bengal, Kolkata). The Council sits where the supplier is, so a Kolkata supplier can pursue a buyer in another state from home.
How we collect from large buyers
- We reconcile your ledger against POs, GRNs and portal records so the claim is exact.
- Your advocate sends a notice to the buyer’s registered office, CFO and company secretary within 24 hours, citing Sections 15 and 16 of the MSMED Act, Section 43B(h) and the MSME-1 disclosure.
- Most buyers clear the invoice at this stage; disputes on debit notes are negotiated in writing.
- If not, MSME Samadhaan before the West Bengal Micro and Small Enterprises Facilitation Council, where PSUs and listed companies appear like anyone else.