Two months on, R&B Chief Engineer post in north Kashmir remains vacant

Baramulla, Aug 3: The prolonged absence of the Chief Engineer, Roads & Buildings (R&B) Department in north Kashmir has disrupted the department’s official operations and caused considerable inconvenience to contractors across the region for the past two months.
Contractors from various areas in north Kashmir, including Baramulla, Bandipora and Kupwara, said that the vacant position of Chief Engineer has severely impacted their work.
They said there are delays in the processing of the bills and other official work, which has created economic uncertainty for many of them.
“We have been facing considerable hardship for the past two months due to the vacant R&B Chief Engineer position in north Kashmir. This situation has led to delays in billing procedures and stoppages in other official work,” said Mushtaq Ahmad, a contractor from Baramulla. “Despite completing our projects, the pending bills are causing us significant financial stress.”
Javid Ahmad, another contractor, said, “Whenever we approach the department for payment, we are told to wait until the vacant Chief Engineer position is filled. This has been the case for the past two months.”
Naseer Ahmad Mir, President of the Contractors Association in Bandipora, expressed his frustration over the prolonged vacancy, saying it has hindered both departmental operations and contractors’ activities.
“It is unfortunate that such a key position has remained vacant for the past two months. This has severely impacted our work and caused unnecessary delays,” he said. Mir urged the government to fill the position as soon as possible to prevent further suffering for contractors in north Kashmir.
The contractors have collectively appealed to the LG-led administration to address the issue promptly and fill the vacant Chief Engineer position to restore normalcy in the department’s functioning and alleviate their ongoing difficulties.