Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Aug 8: The Chief Engineer Public Health Engineering (PHE) this evening resumed his duty after intervention by Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah and the PHE employees called off their strike after the issue was resolved.
The PHE Chief Engineer, Ahmad Muzaffar Lanker, resigned yesterday after he was allegedly abused by the CAPD Minister, Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan at Civil Secretariat during review meeting of the PHE.
The MoS PHE this morning held detailed meeting with Lanker at latter’s residence who agreed to resume duties. The PHE employees who were on three-day strike, this evening called off their strike.
The Government has in the meantime handed over the investigations into Ramhal Water Supply Scheme embezzlement case to IGP Crime who will submit his report to the Government within a fortnight. The issue of Ramhal Water Supply irked the Minister yesterday who allegedly abused the Chief Engineer leading to his resignation.
Muzaffar Lanker said here that Gurezi visited his residence in the morning and sought apologies on behalf of the Chief Minister for Ramzan’s abuses.
PHE employees called off their strike after the issue was resolved. “We have decided to call off the strike and resume work from tomorrow,” PHE Employees Coordination Committee president Sajad Ahmed Parray said here.
In the meantime, Ramzan today said that huge embezzlement of funds has taken place in Marsari-Pachkoot Water Supply Scheme and the officials of PHE are directly involved in it. He said that he will pursue the matter till the guilty are not punished.
The Water Supply Scheme was supposed to benefit 65,000 inhabitants of 35 villages of Ramhal Block of district Kupwara. PHE Department was supposed to spend Rs 5 crore 87 lakh. As per the Minister, the money has been spent but the WSS is defunct.
A group of Ramzan’s supporters today protested against Chief Engineer at Partap Park Srinagar and raised slogans in favour of NC and CAPD Minister.
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