Akshay Azad
Early Times Report
JAMMU, Nov 18: The Minister for Industries and Commerce Sajjad Ahmad Kichloo has been facing humiliation for the last few days, following his failure to transfer Director Industries and Commerce Jammu, Dr. Abdul Rashid after intervention of High Court but in a new twist to the story, today the Director was denied entry at Jammu Airport by the police authorities, allegedly on his behest.
Sources informed Early Times that Joint Secretary of Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry Shubhra Singh was slated to visit Jammu today and Director of Industry and Commerce Dr. Abdul Rashid had to receive her at Airport.
"When the Personal Assistant of Director Industries Jammu telephonically requested the official at Airport Jammu on telephone number 0191-2431047 at 8:15 AM for booking the official car number of Director for allowing entry inside Airport, so as to receive Joint Secretary DIPP, who is officially visiting Jammu, but to utter surprise, the operator outrightly refused to book the vehicle number", sources said.
"The operator of Airport telephonically conveyed that his officers had instructed not to allow the official car of Director Industries and Commerce at Jammu Airport", sources said, adding that the Director Industries immediately called Financial Commissioner Industries and Commerce Department as the Director was obstructed from discharging his duties besides causing humiliation and embarrassment.
The Director Industries has forwarded a letter to Financial Commissioner Industry and Commerce department to identify the officer responsible for issuance of such unwarranted directions and to ascertain the reasons for doing so.
Sources further alleged that the Jammu and Kashmir Police was under direct control of Ministry of Home, portfolio of which was also with Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo and it might be that under his instructions, the action was taken.
Pertinently, Dr. Abdul Rashid was penalized for exposing the corrupt practices of Minister of State for Industries Sajjad Ahmed Kitchloo, who was allegedly involved in giving favour to an influential business house of Jammu assuring them allotment of 34 Kanals of land in Bari Brahmana Industrial Area, in lieu of whooping Rs. 1.5 Crores.
Earlier, Dr. Abdul Rashid had rejected the proposal of Shivam Metal Shapers Industries Works, Adhishree Cold Storage, after he had found various loopholes into their proposals and subsiding the pending list of 34 entrepreneurs, who had submitted their composite forms since 2009, to seek the piece of land in Bari Brahmana Industrial area to start up their units.
It was also reported that despite the fact that Government has set up formal rules for the people who desired to seek the land from Industrial Estate to start their own units. But these business houses had not even applied formally and the SIDCO, earmarked 34 Kanals of land in their favour, illegally, without their cases being forwarded by General Manager DIC Jammu, which is a procedural requirement.
Moreover, according to the project reports submitted by the above said industrial unit holders, they had sought only 1200 Square feet and 1.4 Kanals of land but surprisingly MD SIDCO deliberately, earmarked 17 kanals of land for each unit allegedly in connivance with the business house", ET while quoting sources had reported, and had added that according to rates approved by Government, the industrial unit owner had to pay Rs. 68 Lakhs for 34 Kanals of land, which would later be sold at the cost of more than Rs. 5-6 Crores. |
