Srinagar, Dec 08 (KNS): Agriculture Minister Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura replaced the foundation stone of Arzan Garzun Water Storage Scheme Chrar-e-Sharief in central Kashmir’s district Budgam with his own name.
The old foundation was laid by three former ministers on June 26, 2014 during the tenure of Omar Abdullah led government in the state.
Sources told KNS that on December 5, Hanjura visited Chrar-e-Sharief where he removed the previous foundation stone of Arzan Garzun Water Storage Scheme and fixed another stone with his own name.
They said that the project was sanctioned by the UPA government in 2014 for an estimated cost of Rs 25 crore. “The funds were released then and work was started after the then finance minister, Abdul Rahim Rather and Sham Lal Sharma, the then irrigation minister laid foundation stone in presence of MoS irrigation, Nazir Ahmad Khan (Gurezi), Chief Engineer Irrigation, Kashmir and all other high ranking officers of the department,” sources added.
However, sources said that the foundation stone that was laid on June 26, 2014 was replaced by the current Agriculture Minister, Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura with his own name on Dec 5, 2016.
Sources further added that none among the top officers of the department were present at the time when Hanjura fixed new foundation stone.
Meanwhile, former finance minister and senior NC leader, Abdul Rahim Rather told KNS that the work over the scheme was started during NC’s tenure but the same work got stopped after PDP assumed the charge.
“I released the amount for the said scheme when I was finance minister but the PDP, which is a group of Jokers have replaced the foundation stone with their own name to befool the people that they have done a great job,” he said.
Rather said none of the official from the department accompanied Hanjura while he replaced the stone with his own name.
“It is not the first time when PDP took credit of NC regimes work but they have done it past as well,” he said. (KNS)