“Parmar was victimized for exposing irregularities in the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission by the Jal Shakti Department in J&K”
Ashutosh Khanna
In a shocking revelation, Ashok Kumar Parmar, a Senior IAS Officer (AGMUT 1992) and Chairman of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, Government of Jammu & Kashmir, has lodged a formal complaint against Lieutenant Governor and Chief Secretary,J&K, with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) in New Delhi.
The complaint targets Manoj Sinha, the Lieutenant Governor of J&K UT, and Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, the Chief Secretary of J&K, accusing them of ‘harassment, humiliation, intimidation, and biased’ behavior against him as a Scheduled Caste officer.
The complaint, dated August 17, 2023, alleges that Parmar was victimized for exposing irregularities in the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission by the Jal Shakti Department in J&K. Parmar, based in Gujarat, recounts an incident on June 6, 2022, where LG Manoj Sinha allegedly ejected him from a meeting room in front of other Administrative Secretaries. This act, according to the complaint, was designed to belittle and harass him.
Further allegations detail an incident on July 25, 2023, when Chief Secretary Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta purportedly humiliated and expelled Parmar from a Committee of Secretaries meeting without any justifiable reason. The complaint points to frequent transfers that Parmar faced, allegedly in violation of the government’s transfer policy, all due to his exposing of flaws in the Jal Jeevan Mission.
Parmar’s complaint asserts that these instances of harassment and intimidation were rooted in prejudice and bias against him as a Scheduled Caste officer.
He claimed to have alerted LG Manoj Sinha, Chief Secretary Dr. A.K. Mehta, and Advisor to LG R. R. Bhatnagar about issues within the implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission. In his communication dated July 20, 2022, Parmar reportedly highlighted the lack of a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis in the mission’s execution and raised concerns about faulty procedures for work allotment.
Specifically, Parmar stated that the erroneous interpretation of Clause 4.5.2 of the Manual of Procurement of Works, 2019, led to slow progress in the project. This clause, he claims, was wrongly used to restrict contractors to only two works, and Parmar clarifies that the clause is applicable only to petty works aimed at promoting startups, not to general works or tenders.
The complaint further suggests that Parmar’s actions of exposing financial irregularities and questionable practices led to concerns about potential false allegations against him by LG Manoj Sinha and Chief Secretary Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta. Parmar, being a Scheduled Caste IAS Officer, expresses apprehension that these high-ranking officials might go to great lengths to tarnish his reputation and career.
