Govt official suspended in Kathua; underperformers issued warning

A government official was suspended in Kathua for his alleged failure to stop illegal mining, as Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary inspected various offices in the district on Wednesday and warned stern action against underperforming officials.

District Mineral Officer, Kathua, Naveen Kumar was placed under suspension, pending an inquiry into his conduct, with immediate effect, an official order said. During the period of suspension, Kumar will remain attached to the Directorate of Geology and Mining.

Talking to reporters during his surprise inspection of various government offices in Kathua, Deputy CM Choudhary said the official was suspended for his “failure” to stop illegal mining in the district bordering Punjab.

“We will not allow people from Punjab to come and loot our rivers. There is a lot of corruption in the collection of minor minerals from the rivers. An inquiry will be done and if the allegations are proved against the official, he will face dismissal,” he said.

“We are in power to end the bureaucratic rule and to clear the rust which has gathered in the system over the past six years. We assure the people that they will not find the government lacking and will feel proud that they have chosen a government which is working for them,” he said.

Choudhary also said the government will never want fertile land to be put in the Change of Land Use (CLU) for setting up industries.