Faculty deprived of promotions as GCET has no Recruitment Rules

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 25: Even after more than 19 years since its inception, Government College of Engineering and Technology (GCET), Jammu, has no Gazetted Staff Recruitment Rules resulting into no promotions of the college faulty.
In absence of such rules and subsequent Carrier Advancement Scheme (CAS), the faculty members having requisite qualifications like B Tech/M Tech/Ph Ds are stagnated on the same post and grade whereas their counterparts who joined other degree colleges under Higher Education Department, NIT Srinagar, are serving in the capacity of Professors and Principals.
The total sanctioned teaching faculty strength at GCET is 72, out of which 42 posts under different capacities of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Professor are lying vacant.
Even as the Govt Order No. 107-GAD of 2002 Dt: 16-01-2002 [Referring: (1) Cabinet decision no. 186/15 dt. 27-12-2001, (2) Govt. Order No. 602-GAD of 2000 Dt: 26-05-2000] endorse the fact that “whenever recruitment rules have not yet finalized, the departments shall ensure their finalization within six months”, the GCET faculty is struggling for the implementation of Recruitment Rules for the last 19 years.
The teaching faculty of GCET has made several efforts to put forth their genuine and justified grievances like implementation of Career Advancement Scheme of the Pay Rules which were adopted by the Finance Department, J&K Govt vide their SRO No. : 61 dated: 05-03-2007, SRO No. : 70 Dated: 2010 and SRO No. : 235 Dated: 25-04-2013 before the Higher Education Department through physical and written representations via proper channels at various levels. The career advancement under these SROs clearly mentioned that a faculty member having PhD /M.Tech/ B.Tech will be awarded next grade after 4/5/6 years of completed service and after next 5 years to the next grade. The cases for departmental promotions under Career Advancement Scheme of the above mentioned SRO’s of the GCET faculty members have been sent to the Department of Higher Education, J&K Govt. through proper channel for its approval but no final decision has yet been taken in this regard.
The deputation of faculty members met Minister for Higher Education and even the Chief Minister, but till date no action has been taken in this regard by the Government for the best reasons known to them. Even the Government has assured number of times on the floor of Legislative Assembly that the recruitment rules are in progress and will be issued shortly.
One of the faculty members lamented that even after acquiring the higher qualification like PhD it seemed that he had made blunder by joining this institution as faculty member because his counterparts having only PG degree who had joined other degree colleges of the State were getting their promotion and enhanced salary without any hitch.
The proposal file pertaining to Recruitment Rules of Gazetted Staff of GCET vide file No. HE-GCET/58/2002 is roaming between corridors of Higher Education Department and ARI& Training Department, J&K Govt, but nothing was heard of that file. On one side the State Government was claiming to clear the files within a stipulated time frame, but where is the time commitment of the Government regarding this file HE-GCET/58/2002 which is still waiting the Government’s attention from the last more than 12 years.
It seems that the Government is adopting discriminatory attitude towards establishment and expansion of this centre of higher learning located in Jammu region.
On one side the State Government is considering the relaxation of rules in favour of Medical College Teachers for the newly opened Medical Colleges in the State whereas the faculty of GCET which is the only engineering college of the State Government is still waiting for the formulation of their recruitment rules even after 19 years of its existence. This is the clear discrimination of the State Government towards the only engineering college of the State located in the Jammu region.
These aspects also have great bearing on the morale and motivation level of the faculty because inspite of giving good results the faculty of this college are not being given justice to their genuine demands and rights.
The college was established in the year 1994 under Higher Education Department, J&K Government to meet the ever increasing demand of technical manpower in the State.

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