Avinash Azad
Jammu, May 1:
In a glaring instance of bureaucratic apathy, a serious complaint routed through the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) alleging fraudulent practices in awarding road construction contracts worth over ₹27 crore is gathering dust in the Jammu and Kashmir administration’s grievance redressal system for last three months. Even more alarming, the issue was stonewalled when BJP MLA Ranbir Singh Pathania flagged it in the J&K Legislative Assembly.
During a recent Assembly session, Pathania raised concerns over multiple complaints against government officers, which had been escalated through constitutional authorities, including the PMO and the President’s Secretariat. Instead of offering clarity, the government delivered a vague, non-committal response—completely sidestepping the core issue of why such high-level grievances are being ignored.
At the heart of the controversy lies the allotment of a road works in the Reasi district of Pir Panjal region—valued at over ₹27 crore—by the Chief Engineer’s office of the Public Works Department (PWD). The contract wa allegedly awarded to a firm that submitted inflated turnover documents to meet eligibility criteria. Documents reviewed by The Hidden News reveal that contractors and whistleblowers raised several objections to the firm’s qualifications. Yet, their warnings were summarily dismissed.
The matter becomes more serious considering the complaint was filed through the PMO’s Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) under reference no. GOVJK/E/2025/0000222, dated January 29, 2025. Despite its origin from the highest executive office, sources within the grievance cell confirmed the complaint “remains unprocessed” and that “no action has been taken so far.”
“This is a textbook case of systemic failure and administrative arrogance,” said a retired senior bureaucrat familiar with the issue. “When even PMO-routed complaints are brushed aside, it shows how insulated and indifferent the system has become.”
Addressing the Assembly, MLA Ranbir Singh Pathania had refrained from naming the project but underscored a disturbing pattern. “If complaints escalated by the Prime Minister’s Office and President’s Secretariat are left unattended, what hope remains for grievances filed by ordinary citizens?” he asked.
The government’s written reply acknowledged “receipt of some complaints” but failed to mention any investigations or corrective actions—raising serious questions about the state of transparency and accountability in the Union Territory’s governance.
“This is not just corruption—it’s the outright defiance of constitutional oversight,” said an RTI activist based in Rajouri. “When multi-crore tenders are awarded based on questionable credentials and watchdog mechanisms are deliberately bypassed, it amounts to betrayal of public trust.”
Sources have revealed that an overstaying officer in the Civil Secretariat, Public Works (R&B) Department, is allegedly favouring the contractor and making every possible effort to shield the irregularities committed in the PWD Zone, Pir Panjal (Rajouri).
Earlier, the then Chief Engineer of the Pir Panjal Zone shifted the blame onto the Chartered Accountant, who had included transactions among three firms amounting to around ₹8 crore. However, the Chief Engineer failed to initiate any action on his own. This, despite the tender document clearly stating that only payments received from government departments for works executed by the contractor would be considered for work allotment
As official silence continues, the broader question remains: Are urgent complaints from the nation’s top offices being deliberately buried by J&K’s bureaucracy?
The Hidden News will continue to follow the trail.
