STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: In a significant development, Jammu and Kashmir Government on Wednesday regularized 25 Incharge Assistant Engineers (Mechanical) Degree Holder as Assistant Engineers (Mechanical) of the Public Works (R&B) Department appointed under the Prime Minister’s Package.
“As recommended by the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission/DPC, sanction is accorded to the regular promotion of 25 I/c Assistant Engineers (Mechanical) Degree Holder as Assistant Engineers (Mechanical) of PW(R&B) Department appointed under PM Package in the pay scale of Rs 8000-275-12950 (Pre-revised),” reads an order issued by Shailendra Kumar, Principal Secretary, Public Works (R&B) Department.
Incharge Assistant Engineers (Mechanical) who have been promoted as Assistant Engineers notionally from January 14, 2022 and regularly from June 30, 2022 include Hardeep Singh, Sachin Bhat, Sameer Koul, Tanpreet Singh, Sandeep Pal Singh, Ashwani Kholi, Daljeet Singh, Sajan Kumar, Rohit Pandita, Amit Raina, Sandeep Vaishnavi, Nitesh Bhat, Sanjay Pandita, Ashu Bhatt, Tejinder Singh, Amit Tickoo, Proful Kumar Bhat, Sumit Razdan, Pankaj Koul, Amanpreet Singh, Parmeet Singh, Bupinder Singh, Vinod Kumar Tickoo, Rinku Kumar Kaul and Sandeep Koul.
“The above promotion is subject to the outcome of writ petition pending, if any, before competent Court(s) of Law”, the order stated.
The displaced Prime Minister Employment Package employees in Kashmir, especially the Junior Engineers, had been persistently demanding promotional avenues to be ensured as they had been allegedly facing discrimination in their respective departments.
A number of Junior Engineers under the package had been complaining about the apathetical approach of the successive governments towards their plight on account of promotions. These engineers had been appointed after following due process of selection, inter allia, in the Roads & Building Department under the Prime Minister’s package.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha was also seized of the matter and he had time and again assured that the genuine demands of the Prime Minister Package employees would be considered on priority.
On June 8, 2022, the Administrative Council under the chairmanship of the Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha had approved the scheme for promotion of PM package employees to remove the bottleneck in career progression of such employees. In July last year, he had set a deadline for completion of the promotion process of these employees.
The aggrieved engineers had been vociferously pleading that promotion of their juniors to the next higher position had been ordered but PM package employees were left for the reasons best known to the authorities.
Reportedly, the Chief Secretary of J&K had taken cognizance of the issues projected by the aggrieved employees and even constituted a panel to look into their pleas.