Govt declines CE’s resignation
Srinagar: Placated by the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s gesture of extending apologies, Chief Engineer A M Muzaffar Friday resumed duties. Muzaffar, who heads the Public Health Engineering department, had resigned in protest on Thursday after he was allegedly abused by Transport Minister Chaudhary Mohammad Ramzan during a board meeting here on Thursday. The official’s resignation had triggered protest across the department with not just employees but also the affiliated contractors had called for a strike.
Talking to reporters here the Minister of State for PHE Nazir Gurezi said, I met the Chief Engineer on the directions of the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and told him that government has rejected his resignation. I held a detailed meeting Lankar who agreed to my request and joined back his duties, Gurezi said.
He informed that the government had handed over the investigations into Ramhal water supply scheme embezzlement to IGP Crime who would submit his report to the government within a fortnight.
Gurezi added that the government has constituted a high level committee to probe the allegations of embezzlement leveled by the CAPD Minister Chaudary Mohammad Ramzan.
Meanwhile, Muzaffar Lanker, the CE PHE confirmed that Gurezi visited his residence this morning and sought apologies on behalf of the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for the humiliation he had to face at the hands of Chaudry Ramzan. Gurezi sought apologies on behalf of the Chief Minister in presence of Engineering Association Coordination Committee members, Lanker sai, adding that he resumed his duties in the evening.
Pertinently, on Thursday , Ramzan had alleged that PHE had misappropriated Rs 5.84 crore meant for water supply scheme in Ramhal area of his constituency in north Kashmirs Kupwara district. I had pursued Ramhal water supply scheme and had got it approved from the Government of India some three years ago. This scheme was meant for 35 villages of Ramhal block. But not a single village out 35 covered under the scheme has been benefited till date, Chaudary had claimed.
Asked about the total embezzlement in the scheme, he had said: I dont know where the money of this scheme has gone. When I asked the Lankar to explain about the failure of the Ramhal scheme, he lost his cool and threw papers around and walked out of the meeting and told me that I was questioning his integrity.
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