Road ministry staff withdraw resignation

The showdown between road ministry officials and a Planning Commission advisor ended on Friday after over a dozen senior ministry officials, who had put in their papers two days ago, withdrew their resignation. HT reports.

The showdown between road ministry officials and a Planning Commission advisor ended on Friday after over a dozen senior ministry officials, who had put in their papers two days ago, withdrew their resignation.

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The officials—including two members of National Highways Authority and over a dozen chief engineers from the road ministry—had on Wednesday submitted their resignation to road secretary AK Upadhyay.

While officially each of them cited “personal reasons” in their resignation letters, they said the move was triggered because they were fed up of the “over interference” by Gajendra Haldea, advisor (infrastructure) to plan panel deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, in ministerial affairs.

Sources said the officers withdrew their resignation following pressure from top bosses.

“Some of the officers withdrew their resignations earlier in the day and others were forced to follow the suit. There was no unity,” said an official who did not want to be quoted.