By News Agency of Kashmir,
Kishtwar : Throwing all norms into winds, officials in various government departments have been following dictates from one of the brother, who is himself a junior engineer, of a minister in the state cabinet in the mountainous region of Kishtwar district.
Ironically, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has been claiming that coalition government is committed for transparent and accountable system in the state but the prevailing ‘mess’ in different government departments in the district has exposed the “hollowness” of Azad’s slogans.
A detail investigation conducted by the News Agency of Kashmir revealed that various government agencies have allotted construction works worth lakh of rupees to blue eyed persons on the directions of the minister’s brother, who serves as junior engineer in Public Works Department (PWD).
In a Bihar like situation, the brother of Minister of State for Education and Tourism Ghulam Mohammad Saroori has won the name as “Mukha Mantri” due to his influence over the officials of government departments in the district.
Sources maintained that on the directions of Saroori’s brother, Irshad Ahmed Saroori, several projects worth lakh of rupees were allotted to blue eyed persons without floating tenders.
Officials of PWD on the condition of anonymity revealed that Irshad Ahmed Saroori was not officially appointed as Personal Assistant (PA) to his minister’s brother but he is virtually acting as PA to Minister of State for Education G M Saroori. Officials further informed that he has been given undue benefit by superseding other higher officials of the department.
“He has written several letters to some higher officials of other government departments asking them to follow his orders. In brazen violation of laid down norms, he used to distribute Indira Awas Yojna (IYA) cheques to beneficiaries of his brother’s constituency,” sources revealed.
Letter written by Irshad Ahmed Saroori to PWD officials
Sources informed NAK that minister’s brother had written a letter to Block Development Officer (BDO) Chattroo in 2004 for the allotment of construction work to some blue eyed persons. The copy of letter which is available with News Agency of Kashmir reads as, “Please do the work order in the favour of Ghulam Ahmed son of Jabber, a resident of Hirakhari and Ghulam Ali son of Muma if Didil for the construction of tank under block Share in Panchayat Drubeel.”
In another letter referring to BDO Chattroo, he had directed the BDO to issue a corrigendum to the construction wall of Harnka graveyard, revealed official sources, adding that the official vehicle of Board of School Education department was provided to him for whole day during the Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad’s visit to Kishtwar district recently.
Sources further informed that the ‘errant official’ even did not spare his colleagues and directed them to accommodate some blue eyed persons in the important projects of the district. “Officials of higher rungs have been working under his influence since long and they are habitual to follow the orders of minister’s brother as he is considered as ‘Mukha Mantri’ of Kishtwar town,” alleged officials of PWD.
“Saroori and his brother have created reign of terror in the area and even the government officials were giving him undue favour by following the illegal orders”, a local resident Puran Chand told News Agency of Kashmir.
He said that Irshad Saroori, who is himself a government official, is seen at every political meeting of his brother in violation of service rules. “We are soon going to approach Election Commission of India and chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad about the lawlessness in the area”.