Nayeem Akhtar

Srinagar: Crime Branch (CB) of the Jammu and Kashmir police questioned former minister and senior Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Naeem Akhtar, official sources said here on Sunday.

They said officials from the CB questioned Akhtar over alleged irregularities committed during his tenure as public works minister in allotment of contracts for the Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC).

They said the former minister in PDP-BJP coalition government was questioned by CB officials at his residence in connection with allotting work to a specific set of contractors and making some appointments without following the due process.

The questioning revolved around JKPCC work, construction work at the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) Awantipora and allotment of work for setting up the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in south Kashmir, they said.

The allegations against Akhtar said he has given contracts to such people who had no experience in construction work and had floated companies barely a few days before the tendering process was initiated, they said adding the investigation was also into the air-conditioning work of the health department, they said. (UNI)