Minister resigns in Jammu and Kashmir

Sham Lal Sharma, senior Congress leader and Jammu and Kashmir minister for public health engineering, irrigation and flood control, has quit.

"I called on the state president of my party Saif-ud-Din Soz yesterday (Friday) evening and handed over my resignation. I have asked him to submit my resignation to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah," Sharma told IANS Saturday.

The Congress MLA from the Akhnoor assembly constituency said he had resigned against the manner in which the regularisation of thousands of casual workers engaged by the government since 1994 was being handled.

He said he was unhappy with the working of Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather of the National Conference who heads the cabinet sub-committee empowered to recommend the regularisation of daily wagers in the state.

Sharma had also recently locked horns with another senior minister belonging to his party over the controversy whether or not timely action by the flood control department could have saved Srinagar city from getting submerged in flood waters Sep 7.