Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Oct 17: With authorities in the corridors of power totally sleeping over the issue, the fate of 179 Assistant Engineers (AEs) in Hydraulic Wing of Engineering though promoted about two years back still hangs in balance as Government has failed to issue their posting orders till date.
According to sources, the State Government had created 544 posts of Assistant Engineers in Hydraulic and R&B Wings of Engineering vide Order No 165/21 of 2011 on September 21, 2011. Out of them, the then Commissioner Secretary, Irrigation, Flood Control and PHE allotted 272 posts of Assistant Engineers to Hydraulic Wing.
Accordingly the promotion orders were issued for the junior engineers Grade Ist in Hydraulic Wing and 233 JEs were promoted as AEs on December 30, 2011. Out of these 233 promoted JEs as AEs only 214 submitted their joining report, while the fate of rest was not known, sources added.
But to the discomfiture of these AEs only 14 out 214 were adjusted in different sub divisions while rest are awaiting for their adjustment for about two years but no one at the helm of affairs bothered to look into the issue despite the fact that 218 posts of AEs are lying vacant in various sub divisions of Hydraulic Wing of Engineer, sources said.
Terming it as the worst example of adhocism prevailing in the Departments of Irrigation & Flood Control and PHE, sources said these AEs have not been assigned the job of Technical Officers to AEEs in the concerned sub divisions of the Hydraulic Wing of Engineering for which these posts were created.
Sources said it is not known when only 233 posts of JEs were promoted as AEs in Hydraulic Wing by the Government against the 272 posts of AEs which were created for diploma engineers after abolishing the posts of JE Grade Ist when their adjustment orders were not issued till date.
Sources said the number of unadjusted JEs however was later reduced to 129 as 45 AEs among them retired during this period while three died and 23 of them being migrants hence are unadjusted.
However, with promotion of 50 more JEs in August this year the number of unadjusted AEs in the Hydraulic Wing has now reached to 179 while the number of vacancies with the three departments in this Wing of Engineering is 218 but it is not known why the Government is not issuing the adjustment orders in their favour, sources added.
Sources said even in 2012 when 175 posts were lying vacant the authorities could have easily adjusted the 129 promoted AEs waiting for their adjustment at that time but for obvious reasons it kept the fate of these AEs hanging in balance.
Sources said even this time when the number of unadjusted AEs has reached 179 with promotion of 50 more JEs this year but Government is still not taking pains in adjusting them despite having 218 posts of AEs still vacant in different sub divisions of Hydraulic Wing.
Sources said it is not known why the services of these senior most engineers having experience of over 30 years have been kept idle for last 22 months.
Instead of settling the issue and issuing adjustment orders in favour of these AEs the authorities in the corridors of power are passing bucks against each other, sources added.
Recently a delegation of these AEs had also met the Minister of PHE, Irrigation &FC Sham Lal Sharma at Civil Secretariat Srinagar who assured them to look into the issue after Darbar move but will the Minister be able to put his words into action is a million dollar question.
However when contacted the Minister said that there were no clear vacancies in the departments and now with the promotion of AEs to AEEs and bifurcation of work in the sub divisions these AEs will be adjusted within a fortnight after Darbar move.
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