Those entering Gazetted Engineering Services in ‘J&K’ have reasons to complain of ‘unfair’ discrimination

Why no Non-Functional Grade Promotions for Engineering Gazetted Services in UT of J&K and like?

DAYA SAGAR

Many may not believe that as on date in J&K the pay scale of Superintending Engineer and Chief Engineer is same i.e Level -13 only. But That is not the end of the agony of the Gazetted Engineering services.
It must have been surely with the intervention of the then Governor and the prevailing practices of not only ‘promoting’/ ‘posting’ engineers in the Gazetted service cadres in one I/C capacity to another higher post in I/C capacity but even retiring some engineers as ‘I/C Chief Engineers’ worth getting pension only in the grade of Assistant Executive Engineer that J&K State Administrative Council ( SAC) had on 22-10-2019 , inter, alia, directed that the proposal for regular promotions in the Engineering cadre of the Power PDD be processed for consideration of the competent authority in government through the Establishment cum Selection Committee , even without reference to the J&K PSC as one time exception for completion by 30.11.2019.So painfully by then even a few Un-regularised JKPDD retired Engineers had expired without seeing the light of their regularisation and some who had retired even 7-10 years back after working as I/ C Chief Engineer were still getting pension only in the grade of AEE ( Asstt. Executive Engineer) for no fault of their’s. SAC had surely been considerate enough at least on 22-10-2019 to fix a little over one month for disposals of pending files and it was hoped that atleast the cases of retired engineers would be decided by 30-11-2019.But it was only after about 30 months in 2022 with Nitishwar Kumar, IAS Principal Secretary taking over PDD and A.K. Mehta IAS as Chief Secretary the process of deciding case files of retired incharge promotees of PDD appeared to have been given due priority when orders like Government Order No. 49 -JK (PDD) of 2022 D a t e d: 22-04-2022 promoting Er. Vinod Khajuria ( who had retired in 2012 after working as I/C Chief Engineer ) as Ex. Engr w.e.f 15-09-2006, G.O. Order No. 50 -JK (PDD) of 2022 Dated: 22-04-2022 ( same day) promoting Er. Vinod Khajuria as SE w.e.f 15-09-2010 and G. Order No. 51 -JK (PDD) of 2022 D a t e d: 22-04-2022 ( same day ) promoting Er. Vinod Khajuria as Chief engineer w.e.f 12-09-2012 were issued.
Similarly Er. S.K Raina had been promoted as SE vide G.O. No. 50 -JK (PDD) of 2022 D a t e d: 22-04-2022 w.e.f 14-09-2006 and Vide G.O 51 -JK (POD) of 2022 D a t e d: 22-04-2022 as Chief Engineer w.e.f 14-09-2007. Similar orders were issued in favour of other retired engineers also.
No doubt some affected retired engineers are said to have then shown resentment against rejection of their case files/ or still not settled after years but the process started for acceptance or rejection of cases needed to be appreciated. But at the same time the state of affairs as regards handling the Human Resource Affairs in Administrative departments for gazetted engineering cadres those heading the Administrative departments and promoting one from a I/C capacity to another I/C capacity of next higher level post cannot be left unquestioned. Even after that the ‘bad’ process ( promoting same officer from I/C status to another higher level post as I/C ( I/C EE to I/C SE ) and once again promoting the same officer from 2nd I/C level to 3rd higher level post as I/C ( I/EE to I/C SE to I/C CE ) did not appear to have taken notice of since such actions continued after 2019 like GO 57 PWD(R&B) of 30-01-2021 issued promoting I/C SE as I/C CE in Engineering Department only but also in some other departments too ( like order no 35/ PDMD of 2023 dated 17-02-2023 Planning and Monitoring Department promoting after about 5 years some officers working as I/ C since 2018 – Directors / Joint Directors of J&K Economics & Statistics (Gazetted) Service to the Special Scale (Directors) in the Level-13 (123100 -215900)).
Gazetted Engineering cadres are even facing uncertainty in timely career promotions in addition to there being no regular ranks being available for them beyond Level -13 posts in terms of 7th pay commission pay scales .
Formany of other gazetted services there have been some relief since the system / provision for length of service linked non Functional (Monetary) Scheme (NFS) has been ordered in their favour worth relieving them atleast of some social depressions and economic fall backs. But there have been no sanction of non functional grade promotions for Engineering Gazetted services when such provisions are there for Health &Dental ( G.O595-HME of 1988 dated: 2/07/1988. GO No.388-HME of 2005 Dated : 30-06-2005,G.O HME-Actt:-DHSL 04-05 Dated29-07-2005 ) / Animal Husbandry / Sheep Husbandry – SRO-13 of 17-02-2004; SRO 43 and OM no.A/98(2001)-115 dated 17th November 2005, G Order No.3- ASH of 2010 dated 1st January 2010 / ISM (1st. 2nd and 3rd Time bound Promotion pursuant to Govt, order 493-HME of 1999 dated 05- 10-1999 and Govt. Order No. 242-HME of 2008 dated 31-12-2008 ) / JKAS{SRO 198 dated 25-04-2018 Non-Functional (Monetary) Scheme (NFS) } /JKPS { SRO. 215 dated 18 May 2018 – Non-Functional (Monetary) Scheme (NFS)} / etc.
Not only that one who may enter through PSC the Gazetted Engineering service at Level 8A pay scale after obtaining Graduate Degree in Engineering from IIT or any reputed institution through JKPSC at age of 23 or 24 years has regular promotion avenues available for reaching a post of L-13 only of 7th Pay Commissionwhere aseven a KAS officer entering throughPSC with a graduate degree only in Level-8 scale post can reach upto L-14 of 7th Pay Commission and even beyond if inducted in IAS . Ofcourse IAS entering through UPSC enters L-13 post / Grade in 14 years of his entering service and has avenues to reach beyond L-17 post. Not only that in some other J&K departments regular posts/ avenues are there to reach to the levels of L-13A and L-14 post (equivalent to super time scale of IAS).
So surely there is enough worth in the grievances that the officers of J&K Gazetted Engineering Services are expressing and the due should be extended to them without waiting for / contesting any judicial litigations. Atleast the pay scale of the Chief Engineer should be made higher than Superintending Engineer i.e raised to Level -14 for which there need be no wait for representations.
To be continued
(The author is Sr Journalist, social activist and analyst J&K affairs [email protected]).