Hussain Baba
Beerwah; The foundation ceremony of the Chewdara Beerwah Bridge was organized today by the R&B (PWD) Department in Beerwah, with the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Chaudhary, along with MLAs from Beerwah, Khansahib, and Chadoora. However, Chairman DDC Budgam, Nazir Ahmad Khan, has strongly condemned the event, calling it a blatant misuse of public funds and a deliberate breach of protocol.
Expressing his displeasure, Chairman Nazir Ahmad Khan stated that the construction work on the bridge had already commenced in December 2024 and has now reached a significant stage. He criticized the unnecessary ceremony, calling it a wasteful expenditure of public money. “Instead of utilizing funds efficiently for developmental projects, such extravagant events are being organized, which serve no purpose other than political optics,” he remarked.
Nazir Ahmad Khan also highlighted the glaring disregard for democratic institutions, as he, being the elected representative and the key proponent of this and several other projects in the Beerwah segment, was not invited to the ceremony. Shockingly, MLAs from far-off constituencies like Khansahib and Chadoora were invited, while the local representative was deliberately ignored.
Taking strong exception to this breach of protocol, Nazir Ahmad Khan has written a formal letter to the Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, demanding immediate action against the officials responsible. He has also urged that the public money wasted on this event be recovered from the salaries of the government officials who organized it.
“The development projects in Beerwah, including the Chewdara Beerwah Bridge, have been designed and approved due to my consistent advocacy and recommendations as the Chairman DDC Budgam. Not inviting me to such an event is not just an insult to me personally but a disrespect to the democratic institutions and the people of this region,” Khan asserted.
Chairman DDC Budgam Nazir Ahmad Khan reaffirmed his commitment to the people of Budgam and vowed to ensure transparency and accountability in the execution of all developmental projects. He urged the administration to focus on genuine development rather than indulging in wasteful political gimmicks.