Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 24: In defiance to transfer order issued by higher authorities, the District Mining Officer, (DMO) Kathua, Rajinder Singh did not leave the chair to new incumbent to the office after he joined his new place of posting today.
The State Geology and Mining Department, had issued the transfer order of Rajinder Singh and in his place Shafiq Ahmed was posted as new DMO. However, the sitting DMO did not leave the chair to new incumbent of the office on the pretext that his transfer was premature and he was being harassed by higher-ups in the Department.
Singh also said that the matter was subjudice as he had got his transfer order stayed from court of law.
Singh said that he is being punished by the authorities as he took action against the illegal stone crushers functioning in the district and sealed the 45 such crushers which had no NOCs and were functioning illegally. He said as there prevails a nexus he was made scapegoat by the authorities for the same. “I am being punished for discharging my duties honestly by those who don’t want action to be taken against illegal mining in the district”, he added.
Soon after Singh came to know about his transfer order he locked his office and left for somewhere. But after repeated phone calls by new incumbent he returned to office and unlocked the room. But he did no leave his chair to Shafiq Ahmed who sat on another chair in the same room there by creating anarchy in the Department.
It may be recalled that illegal mining has been at galore in Kathua district especially in the river basin of Ravi and other adjoining rivers for a pretty long time. A campaign against the same was launched by the then DC, Ravi Kumar Khajuria in the district who along with Mining officers and district police sealed many illegal crushers. However the DMO had become an eye sore for a strong lobby of mining mafia in the district who managed his premature transfer, sources said. This exposes the State Government’s so-called war against corruption and corrupt persons also, sources added.
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