Srinagar, Dec 13: Ever heard of  that an official elevated to the post of Chief Engineer, retired from the services as Assistant Executive Engineer only because his promotions were not confirmed? Well this is no exceptional case, but a routine affair in Power Development Department, where scores of officials attained superannuation in such away.
 The engineers working with PDD said that for the past nearly two decades, many of them were elevated to the level of CEs, but most such cases were given promotion on in-charge basis. “This means they remained in their own pay scale and grade and couldn’t get any promotional benefits, not even for the retirement,” they said.
 “They were given promotions like in-charge Executive Engineers, in-charge SE and CE, but their pay grade remained same as that of AEE,” a senior PDD official said.
 Now, instead of getting rid of the in-charge system, the engineers said the government had worsened it by intruding “additional in-charge system”.
 As per a recent government order many engineers were elevated the same way.
 “This is neither clearly promoting the officers nor relieving them of their existing assignments/posts,” says J&K Electrical Engineering Graduates Association.
 “Not issuing the clear orders time and again, for what ever reasons cannot be acceptable as this culture is now being followed religiously,” the Association added.
 The engineers said it was “virtually impossible” for the fraternity do justice with multiple assignments.
 “How can a person holding the chair of DCP, CE or SE with a magnitude of responsibility that it carries do justice when burdened with additional assignments which are equally important?”
 The engineers said the Human Resource in the Department could be “easily revamped on modern lines”.
 “But unfortunately, for some reasons and vested interests, our problem is being regularly neglected even though our Department caters to the basic needs of the people,” the engineers organization said.
 When contacted a senior official in the PDD said the engineers were being “victimized”.
 The matter, he said, couldn’t be sorted out at official level, but at political level. “Only the government can solve the problem,” he said, requesting not to be named.
 Ironically, even the present Commissioner Secretary for the department is holding the charge as an additional assignment!

Lastupdate on : Sun, 13 Dec 2009 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 13 Dec 2009 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:00:00 IST