Engineers across the state under the banner J&K State Joint Action Committee, Engineering Graduates Association, held a day long protest and observed a mass casual leave on Tuesday to press for various demands. The protesting engineers in the summer capital Srinagar gathered at the PDD Complex Bemina and shouted pro-justice slogans demanding that regularisation of engineers should witness one time relaxation on similar pattern of education department.
Speaking with Greater Kashmir, Farooq Ahmad Ganai,president, JK Civil Engineering Graduates Association said the protestingengineers are also demanding assured career progression on same pattern to KAS,KPS and doctors. “We will wait for 10 more days for an SRO to be issued in thisregard. If the administration fails to do so we will intensify our stir and gofor pen down strike and hit the roads,” said Ganai adding that the protestingengineers were also demanding correction in grade pay of Junior Engineers from4200 to 4260.
“We have also been pressing for enhancement of travelallowance of field staff to Rs 5000 per month,” he said.
Firdous Ahmad Bhat, president, J&K MechanicalEngineering Graduates Association said regularisation of adhoc promotions forengineers was need of the hour. “The government announced on the floor of thehouse in the budget 2018-19 that the Assured Career Progression (ACP) Schemefor the Gazetted Cadre of the Engineers, in line with doctors, KAS, KPS andother professionals, will be implemented from April 2018. The ACP scheme standsapproved by the last cabinet in its meeting. The members assured the engineersthat the SRO will be issued soon. But the formal SRO for the scheme is stillawaited,” Bhat said. Peerzada Hidyatullah, general secretary, JK ElectricalEngineers Graduates Association said the engineering organizations are workingas per the establishment from the inception of the departments adding thatalthough the administrative blocks and units have been created and expandedmany a times, but the government has “never considered the proposal ofexpansion, revival of the engineering cadre.”
“Although the scope of the engineering organizations andengineering units has increased manifolds, but there has never been anyconsideration of expansion of the cadre. Although 16 Chief Engineers inHydraulics departments are physically functioning today, but the cadre strengthis still restricted to 12. There are such examples in all the departments atall the levels where the cadre strength is less than the functional posts.There is urgent need of the expansion of the engineering cadre and need forcreation, up-gradation of engineering units,” the protesting engineers said ina statement.
“The engineers had pinned all their hopes with the governoradministration and made repeated representations and meetings with theadvisors, but so far the results are no different,” the engineers said.