Aijaz Ali
Budgam: The Jammu and Kashmir Police Monday booked a contractor for assault, mischief and criminal intimidation after a government official accused him of allegedly assaulting him and creating ruckus in his office.
A police official said that the contractor, Ghulam Hassan, who is also the President of Contractors Association (PWD) Budgam, has been booked under sections 353, 427, 506 Indian Penal Code.
On Saturday, Hassan allegedly barged into the office of the Executive Engineer R&B Muhammad Ashraf, and assaulted him besides threatened another official of the department.
Ashraf told Kashmir Observer that Hassan tried to throw a glass table at him and also threatened another official of killing him.
Hassan had gone to the R&B office to demand the release of payment for the contractors who had cleared snow during the winters.
He alleged that the draftsman at the office allegedly demanded a commission for the release of payments and then he went to the XEN’s office to complain about the same.
“For the past two years our payment’s are still pending. We have met the LG’s Advisor and concerned Commissioner who have sought directions about the liabilities from the XEN’s office. However the XEN is delaying the response,” Hassan alleged.
The XEN, however, said that he is not aware of any directions issued by the Advisor’s or Commissioner’s office. The XEN, Ashraf, has been in the office for the past one month.
Interestingly, the former XEN Asgar Ali Watali also feigned ignore about any directions. “I did not receive any directions from the Advisor’s office or Commissioner’s office.”
Ashraf said that he cannot ascertain the amount of work that the contractors have done during the time when he was not in office. “I cannot ascertain the work since it is related to snow clearance,” he told Kashmir Observer.
He came into my office and started yelling and said that the department owns him Rs 8 Crores. “This amount is not even the budget for my office,” Ashraf said.
If the contractors have done some work, it has to be checked by the officer who was in office then.
“They have some internal issues. This is pressure tactics. It has been a history in Budgam that these contractors have used these tactics to put pressure on the officers.”
Ashraf said that the contractors threatened him to lock his office. “How can they say so,” he questioned, adding, “they have been threatening the XEN’s who held this office before.”
The XEN said that the pictures of the assault are with the police and it is for them to investigate the matter.
Meanwhile the Deputy Commissioner of Budgam, Shahbaz Mirza did not respond to the calls from Kashmir Observer.
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