PHE deptt. halts as minister insults chief engineer

I was only asking for probe into Rs. 5.84 Cr scam: Ch Ramzan

Srinagar:  Kashmir’s all the eighteen divisions of Public Health Engineering have halted work in protest against the Transport Minister Choudhary Ramzan’s alleged misbehavior with the department’s Chief Engineer Muzaffar Lankar during a review meeting on Thursday. Lankar has resigned in protest but the minister insists that he was only seeking a probe into the alleged misappropriation of funds to the tune of Rs. 5.84 Cr, meant for his constituency in Handwara. 

    A top official present in the meeting said  on condition of anonymity that PHE Minister was supposed to preside three Developmental meetings at Civil Secretariat Srinagar. The first meeting was attended by MLA Langete Engineer Rashid, second by Transport Minister and MLA Handwara Choudhari Ramzan and the last one, which was held in the absence of Chief Engineer PHE was attended by MLA Khansahab Hakm Yasin.

    The official said that during the second Review meeting, Minister for Transport and MLA Handwara Chodhri Ramzan alleged that Rs 5.84 Crore sanctioned for his constituency last year on July 28 had not been utilized fully and he demanded thorough probe into the matter. 

“Choudhari Ramzan reminded the Minister for PHE about his directions to conduct an enquiry in respect of alleged embezzlement of funds in Ramhal Block in 2013 and said that no report had been submitted so far in this regard. The tone of the Minister was aggressive and when he asked the Chief Engineer where the funds that were supposedly meant for his constituency had gone, the Chief Engineer stood up and advised the minister not to level fabricated allegations against him,” the official said. “I am a man of integrity and you can’t blame me like this,” Lankar is said to have asserted while standing up from his chair.

   The official added that the Minister for Transport lost his temper and used harsh and abusive language while Lankar could not tolerate the misbehavior of the Minister and left the hall in a huff. “Chief Engineer left the meeting hall while all other PHE officials followed him,” an official who witnessed the scene said.

   The Transport Minister Choudhary Ramzan and the PHE Chief are said to have entered into a verbal duel before the later walked out but, the sources privy to the meeting said, the PHE Minister  Sham Lal Sharma maintained silence and did not stop Lankar when he left the meeting chamber.

     When contacted Choudhari Ramzan refuted the allegations and said that he was just asking what happened to the probe that was ordered into the alleged embezzlement of funds. “Minister for PHE had passed various directions in 2013 Review meeting but most of those directions were not implemented. Sham Lal Sharma had directed Superintending Engineer Hydraulic Kupwara division to conduct an enquiry in respect of alleged embezzlement of funds in Ramhal Block and submit report within fortnight but a year has lapsed and the probe is nowhere in sight,” Ramzan said adding that he had no personal grudge with any official.

     Chief Engineer Muzafar Lankar said  that he felt humiliated in the presence of officials and the PHE Minister when Chodhri Ramzan used abusive language. “I am a man of principles and I can’t tolerate the humiliation and baseless allegations,” he said adding that he had tendered his resignation and had asked the state government to arrange an alternative for him.

    Meanwhile, all the 18 divisions of PHE in Kashmir Valley have decided to go for a strike on Friday against the alleged misbehavior of Minister with their Chief Engineer. The PHE contractors have also decided to stop their work from tomorrow and have demanded immediate resignation of the Minister. “We have decided to stop the construction work till the Minister did not apologize or step down,” the president Qualified Contractors and Consultants Association Budgam Abdul Aziz said .

    Kashmir PHE Joint Employees Association president Sajad Ahmed Parray said  that all the divisions of Kashmir Valley will observe a complete shutdown on Friday while an important meeting would be held on Friday evening to chalk out future strategy. He said that PHE employees will go for indefinite strike if the ‘erring’ Minister did not apologize or step down from his chair. 

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