People facing severe power, water crisis
Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, June 13: While the people of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are facing severe water and power crisis during these intense hot summer days, the concerned authorities have failed to fill up hundreds of vacant posts of the Engineers in the Jal Shakti/PHE and the Power Development Departments (PDD).
Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp
Apparently, the essential services seems to be not a priority for the newly elected Government in the Jammu and Kashmir as 802 posts of Engineers from Junior Engineers to Chief Engineer level in the Jal Shakti Department and 861 in the Power Development Department and allied Corporations, are lying vacant since long.
Official sources told the Excelsior that due to the massive shortage of manpower in these two departments managing essential public services/supplies, the people of the region have been suffering a lot. Even at certain places, the officers have been accorded more than two charges. This way, they are unable to do justice with their assigned jobs and the people of their respective jurisdictions/areas. Worst is the condition in the rural areas, as the public in the urban and semi- urban areas remain priority of the concerned authorities to avoid wrath of the higher officials in the administration or in the hierarchy.
Data compiled from the Jal Shakti Department revealed that currently nine posts of Chief Engineer level out of the total sanctioned positions of 17 and 15 of the Superintending Engineers out of the total 30, are lying vacant. Recently, 12 posts of SE level were filled up by the concerned authorities.
The sources further disclosed that total 23 posts of Executive Engineers (Civil/Mech) including 11 that of Mechanical Engineers out of total 25, are lying vacant in the Jal Shakti Department besides 228 posts of Assistant Executive Engineers.
With the vacant positions of the Executive Engineers (Civil/ Mech) the work in many Divisions in Kashmir and Jammu besides Irrigation & Flood Control Kashmir/ Jammu and Ravi Tawi Irrigation Canal Divisions, is suffering badly. This has impacted not only water supplies but the irrigation activities as well.
While the concerned authorities claimed to have referred many posts of Junior Engineers to the SSRB for the fresh recruitment, but even as on date, more than 500 posts (526) of the Junior Engineers are lying vacant in the PHE/JSD. It has been observed that due to very slow process of the recruitment, the concerned departments also face difficulties in getting manpower.
Sources further revealed that due to dual control system in the UT and amidst pulls and pressures from the concerned Ministers and the ‘other side’, the delay is being caused in the postings of the Engineers. But, the general public has been left to face the consequences of these pulls and pressures and for want of accommodating their own favourites.
The power crisis has also deepened in Jammu region with the intense hot weather conditions with mercury touching 44 to 46 degrees Celsius. The unscheduled power cuts from 2 to 5 hours besides power failure in many places for over 12 hours or even more, has made the life of people miserable. Many electric transformers due to overloading are being damaged besides other power infrastructure, but for the restoration work, the PDD/JPDCL is facing acute shortage of manpower.
The Corporation is dependent mainly on the daily wagers, but they are facing exploitation at the hands of the authorities at the helm of affairs, adding sufferings of the general public which is made to pay the hefty bills.
Sources in the PDD revealed that out of the total 2450 sanctioned posts from JEs to top (MD/ED) level, 861 are lying vacant. Out of the total 1162 posts of Junior Engineers sanctioned by the Government, 437 are lying vacant. Similarly, out of 608 posts of Assistant Engineers, 165 remained vacant.
A total 150 posts of Assistant Executive Engineers (AEEs) out of 497 and 74 positions of Executive Engineers, out of 126, are lying vacant in the UT of J&K impacting the normal work of many PDD divisions.
Nineteen (19) positions of Superintending Engineers out of 36 sanctioned, and 8 posts of Chief Engineers out of 13, are also lying vacant. Ad-hocism is prevailing in the PDD/ allied Corporations as the authorities at the helm of affairs seem to be least bothered about the sufferings of the people.
More surprisingly, all the four positions of Executive Director, two posts of Managing Director, one post of Secretary (Tech) and one post of JMD CVPPPL, are also lying vacant in the PDD.
Sources said that after moving towards privatization process, the authorities have slowed down the process of filling up the vacant vacancies created after retirement/promotion of many Engineers, over burdening the existing staff. The poor power supply has been impacting the water supply in many areas, creating water crisis. In order to run the new power stations, the manpower shortage is also being faced at the lower level as well, the sources added.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
