JUDGMENT

[Hearing Held Through Videoconferencing]

Vibhu Bakhru, J. (Oral)--The petitioner has filed the present petition under Section 11 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 (hereafter the `A&C Act'), inter alia, praying that an Arbitrator be appointed to adjudicate the disputes that have arisen between the parties.

2. The respondent had awarded the Contract for construction of ten numbers SPS Rooms (D/S) for D.C. Office (NW), Kanjhawala, Delhi to the petitioner. In terms of the Letter of Award (LoA) dated 14.11.2014, the works were to commence from 21.11.2014 and, to be completed on or before 20.03.2015. The petitioner claims that the respondent had failed to release the payments due for execution of the said works. This led to the petitioner invoking the agreement to refer the disputes to arbitration. By letter dated 20.06.2018, the petitioner requested the concerned Superintendent Engineer to act in accordance with Clause 25 of the General Conditions of the Contract (GCC) (the Dispute Resolution Clause). The petitioner's request for resolution of the disputes and for the appointment of an Arbitrator was rejected by the Executive Engineer on the ground that the claim