Srinagar: With reference to the news item published in a local English daily concerning an alleged administrative crisis in the Public Works Department (PWD), South Kashmir, the office of the Chief Engineer, PW (R&B) Department, South Kashmir today rebutted the news item, terming it unfounded and devoid of facts.
In an official communiqué issued here, it has been given out that all key administrative posts in the department are currently functional and officers have been duly posted, and the administrative structure is intact.
“The posts of Chief Engineer and Superintending Engineers are duly manned and fully functional, handling their respective administrative and technical responsibilities effectively,” read the official statement.
Further in a few instances to boost functionality, additional charges have been assigned to ensure that public services and deliverables are not affected, the statement said.
“Both administrative and technical operations are being carried out smoothly on a day-to-day basis without any disruption,” read the statement.
The statement further has refuted the portrayal of an “administrative crisis” in the department as far from truth and not aligning with the actual status on the ground. The department remains fully operational and committed to public service,” the statement reads.
It may be recalled here that a news item was published in this newspaper citing an administrative crisis in R&B Department in south Kashmir as key positions, including that of Chief Engineer and Superintendent Engineer are lying vacant for several months. The zonal office of the Chief Engineer, located at Dak Bungalow Khanabal, Anantnag, has been without a permanent head, bringing administrative functioning to a standstill and halting progress on several ongoing and proposed development projects, the report said.
While the concerned has rebutted the news report in “strong words” it has failed to respond to the key issue. Who is holding the post of Chief Engineer or Superintendent Engineer there? Yes, there could be additional charges and whatever, but why not something permanent?
Isn’t it true that the department has witnessed the transfer or retirement of nearly six Chief Engineers over the past one and a half years, leading to a lack of continuity and sustainable leadership?
It is worth noting that on August 19, 2023, under the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganization Act, several sub-departments were merged into the Public Works Department (R&B), and separate Chief Engineers were appointed for North, Central and South Kashmir to decentralise the workload. While the move was widely welcomed, its implementation in South Kashmir has remained ineffective. Either officers were posted for brief durations, or the posts remained vacant for extended periods. Let the department come out with specifics to prove these assertions wrong.
