Srinagar, Mar 07: Days after Rising Kashmir reported that the installation of five clusters of programmable aerators in Dal Lake along the North Foreshore Road (NFR) had remained stalled for nearly three years, the government has ordered an inquiry against an Executive Engineer of the Lake Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA).
According to an official order, a copy of which is available with Rising Kashmir, the Jammu and Kashmir government has appointed an inquiry officer to investigate charges against the LCMA Executive Engineer.
The order, issued by the Housing and Urban Development Department, states that sanction has been accorded for the appointment of Mohammad Rafi (JKAS), Vice Chairman of the Srinagar Development Authority (SDA), as the Inquiry Officer to probe the charges levelled against Shakeel Ajaz Fazili, Executive Engineer, Lake Conservation and Management Authority.
The inquiry has been initiated under Rule 33 of the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1956, the order states.
The Secretary of the Lake Conservation and Management Authority has been designated as the Presenting Officer to assist the Inquiry Officer during the proceedings.
The government has directed the Inquiry Officer to submit his report and findings within 30 days from the date of issuance of the order.
However, the order does not specify the allegations against the Executive Engineer for which the inquiry has been initiated.
Meanwhile, a senior LCMA official raised questions over the order issued by the authorities.
“We are surprised by this order. It appears that the government is trying to shield the contractor and has ordered an unnecessary inquiry against the Executive Engineer, who had refused to accept substandard material supplied by the contractor and pointed out loopholes in the material proposed to be used in the project,” the official said.
The project was initiated in October 2023 and was allotted in July 2024 to a Gujarat-based firm at a cost of Rs 7.71 crore.
Officials said that around 20 notices were issued to the firm, asking it to resume work within seven days in accordance with the terms and conditions of the allotment order and complete the project within one month strictly as per the specifications laid down in the NIT and allotment order. However, there has been no response so far.
An official of LCMA said the department now intends to close the project so that fresh tendering can be carried out.
