By ignoring the chief engineer’s direction, PWD Poonch top brass protects the misdeeds of a blue-eyed engineer; Where is the Principal Secretary PWD?

By ignoring the chief engineer’s direction, PWD Poonch top brass protects the misdeeds of a blue-eyed engineer; Where is the Principal Secretary PWD?

POONCH TODAY NEWS

POONCH: The questionable role played by the top brass of the PWD department Poonch, in complete violation of the RTI Act just to protect an engineer of the PWD who scripted various professional misdeeds in the department, has raised a big question mark on the credibility and the functioning of the department.

The said engineer, holding an important post, also remained under the radar of anti-graft agencies for his wrong practices of misusing his chair in many projects, shockingly being protected by his top bosses. Even Chief Engineer PWD Pir Panjal gave strict directions to the department to provide all records asked for in an RTI application, but completely ignoring the directions of the chief engineer, the top brass preferred to remain silent. The open violation of RTI by the department just to protect its engineer shows the fact that the said employee has the political backing, as he remained a strong link between his political bosses, the Deputy Commissioner Office, and PWD. He used to give every piece of information about the department to his political bosses. Even the activities of the DC office used to be brought to their attention by this engineer. He was running a parallel system in the PWD department and remained a mastermind of maximum professional misdeeds. Fully understanding the political support he has, the top brass also preferred to sail in the same boat to remain in the good books of his political bosses, and that’s why the concerned officers openly violated the RTI Act and even ignored the directions of their chief engineer, just to protect the said engineer, who was reportedly playing big shots in PWD. The said engineer runs his private construction agency and illegal stone crusher in the name of a family member and played a big role in the illegal allotment of projects and the passing of questionable bills for his family agency without executing the works on the ground in some road projects. During his earlier prestigious posting in Mandi tehsil, he scripted big financial frauds but was not taken to task by the government. After scripting massive frauds during his previous posting, he did the same in the present place of posting without any fear of law because he has the political backing. Despite his massive involvement in various misdeeds, the top officers, including S.E. PWD Poonch and Executive Engineer PWD Division Poonch, were seen openly protecting him. Although the said engineer has recently been attached to the office of Engineer-in-Chief, Civil Secretariat, Srinagar, for facing an inquiry vide government order no. 271-PW(R&B) of 2025, dated 27-08-2025, still, a high-level inquiry is needed from the Principal Secretary to the government PWD to know how the top brass of PWD has violated the RTI Act just to protect the said engineer.