Anantnag: Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), Bijbehara has placed at least twelve employees of Public health engineering (PHE) under suspension for remaining absent from their duties. 

The suspension of employees came after the SDM Abdul Rashid Daas on Wednesday visited the PHE division Bijbehara to pacify the protesters who had assembled there to protest the water crisis in their respective villages including Arwani,  Sultanpora and Jablipora. 

The SDM, on reaching the PHE division checked the attendance register and found around a dozen employees absent from duties.

The SDM after pacifying the protesters by assuring them the redresal of their grievances, ordered suspension of all the twelve employees of the PHE division including some junior engineers (JEs).

The SDM, an official said, has also sought explanation from the executive engineer for his absence from duty. “Action is likely to be recommended against the Exin also,” an official said. 

Pertinently, the PHE division Bijbehara is often in news for bad reasons. A couple of days ago residents of the Eidgah area of main town held protests against the water crisis. Similarly the complaints of drinking water shortage are coming from various areas of the division. People often complain that the executive engineer and his subordinate field engineers hardly give damn to their pleas. 

“The Exin posted in the division is very incompetent. Since his posting in the division we have been receiving frequent complaints of water crisis in many areas. We will write to top authorities about his incompetence and failure to redress the grievances of people with regard to water shortage,” said a top official of district administration.