Despite tens of complaints of corruption and couple of FIRs against him, a junior engineer of the PWD R&B has managed not only to evade any action from administration, But to stick on to same place of posting for over eight years.
There has been huge outcry from locals and contractors against Abdul Rafiq, JE PWD posted in Bhallessa area of Gandhoh in Doda, the native place of former Chief Minister and presently Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and complaints have been filed with the civil administration, police and even on the Chief Minister’s grievance cell, but the official in question has interestingly evaded any action from any quarter.
“As many as fifteen complaints have been filed by various people from contractors to civilians against the misdeeds of the JE, but except for a lone case in the court of Munsif, he has stayed here unharmed” said Shams Din Rather, a contractor of Halore Neeli tehsil Blessa Gandoh. “ I even posted a complaint on Chief Minister’s grievance cell on 28/12/2011, but Government have failed to take any action against him till now” he added narrating how the JE was demanding huge commissions in advance from contractors and blackmailing them by stopping their payments.
While speaking to Kashmir Images, EX EN Gandhoh Abdul Rashid Sheikh said, “we enquired into the complaint after it was forwarded to us by the CM’s grievance cell, but all the allegations were found to be frivolous and baseless”.
JE Abdul Rafiq when contacted by KI pleading innocence said that the Shams Din Rather has been filing frivolous complaints against him. “one of the works allotted to him had to be stalled on the intervention of a minister and since then he has turned vindictive against me” he argued.
Interestingly, while the JE in question and his immediate superior, the Ex En were pleading non guilty, a senior most officer in the R&B acknowledged that there were many complaints against the said officer. “We have received several complaints of corruption, negligence in works and other serious allegations against him” and an enquiry against him was on”, said the officer who did not want to be named. He assured that, he will be transferred soon.