Days after Opposition National Conference accused the government of allotting work in PHE and IFC departments to PDP workers in Sonawari Assembly segment in Bandipora district without tendering, the officials have stopped these works and have reportedly persuaded the ‘PDP’ contractors to wait for the right time.In Shadipora area in my constituency, according to Muhammad Akbar Lone, MLA Sonawari the government has allotted work to PDP workers without issuing any tenders. He said that the project estimated at a cost of Rs 399 and work for Rs 35-50 lakh has been started. “But no tendering has been issued.”Reliable sources told CNS that shortly after the claim made by the incumbent National Conference legislator, the government not only took Executive Engineer Irrigation and Flood Control Division Sumbal to task but also directed him to stop all the works with immediate effect.The Executive Engineer I&FC Division Sumbal according to reliable sources in a bid to appease a local PDP leader allotted the works without tendering to the contractors associated with ruling People’s Democratic Party. If sources are to be believed the Executive Engineer I&FC in league with his juniors extracted a huge chunk of money from the contractors. “It is not for the first time that incumbent Executive Engineer has come into light for bad reasons but earlier also the said official was accused of looting state exchequer when he allowed sand mafia to extract sand illegally in the river Jehlum, a fact admitted by Sub Divisional Magistrate Sumbal.
An on spot verification revealed that contractors have been directed to stop works allotted to them at Shadipora, a fact confirmed by Assistant Executive Engineer Pirzada Altaf Ahmed. “I don’t know anything about the issue. I was asked to monitor the work on the site. We are doing what Executive Engineer is asking us to do,” Altaf said and added that he was unaware that works to contractors were allotted without tenders.A respectable contractor from the area wishing anonymity told CNS that the present Executive Engineer I&FC Division Sumbal reversed its strategy as soon as PDP formed government in the state. “Earlier the Engineer Sahb used to ignore PDP contractors when National Conference was ruling the state and Muhammad Akbar Lone was the cabinet minister. With the change in tide, he started pampering PDP leaders now. It depicts that he (Executive Engineer) is opportunist who can go to any extent to make quick bucks.” Another contractor said that post floods people voluntarily worked to repair damaged bunds but the said Engineer prepared fake bills to drain money from the exchequer. “This official was in league with sand mafia and it was he who gave them free hand to extract sand illegally from the water bodies,” he said.Instead of presenting his view point, the Executive Engineer I&FC Division Sumbal Ghulam Jeelani utilized all his resources to persuade us from filing this story. When we didn’t budge, he availed the services of some of his ‘influential’ friends, but all in vain.Minister for Rural Development, Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Abdul Haq Khan reiterated that “If work has been allotted without tender, action will be taken against the department.”Chief Engineer Irrigation and Flood Control Javaid Jaffar said that work on the Shadipora site will be resumed after two to three weeks. “We have procured a Dredger from LAWDA and we paid to the department on hourly basis. Work has been stopped but it will resume soon,” he said but didn’t reply when asked why work was allotted to contractors without e-tendering. (CNS)