Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 28: Continuing their protest call which was earlier scheduled to be held on Dec 30, 2024, the JKEEGA has decided it to hold on Jan 8, 2025.
The decision in this regard was taken in cognizance of sudden inclement weather conditions and heavy snowfall witnessed in Kashmir valley and hilly areas of Jammu province, disrupting normal life and critical/emergency services.
Guidance Counsel an Apex body of JKEEGA held an emergency online meeting, here today to take a review about the sit-in protest, regarding “non-redressal of Regularisation issue of PDD Engineers approved vide SAC decision Dated 21.10.2019 and other HR issues”.
Accordingly keeping in view harsh and inhospitable prevailing weather conditions and in the larger interests of general public, the Guidance Counsel of JKEEGA both at Jammu and Kashmir, after extensive deliberation in its emergency meeting, to enable the Engineers to concentrate on the restorational activities, for mitigation of the public sufferings, decided with consensus, that the sit-in protest shall be observed now on Jan 8, 2025.
Addressing a press conference here today JKEEGA officer bearers led by general secretary Sachin Tickoo said that the decision of resorting to protest was taken by Guidance Council of JKEEGA, an apex body of power engineers of J&K on Dec 4. He said PDD engineers feel alienated and neglected as basic HR issues faced by them have not been settled by Govt.
They said that Chief Engineers/Superintending Engineers are superannuating in the grades of AEs or even JEs which speaks volumes about the total indifference and humiliating treatment to the services rendered by them. The issue has further been worsened by casual approach of administrative department of JKPDD which despite of lapse of more than 10 months have not been able to reply to query raised by Establishment Cum Selection Committee in a meeting held on Feb 27 this year. Nearly 2500 engineers of PDD were promoted from time to time from Junior Engineers to Chief Engineers till 2019. But the fact is that all the Chief Engineers are AEs/JEs substantively, which had badly affected the morale of the PSC/SSRB appointees over the years.
Further, apathy with Engineering Gazetted Services was about Assured Career Progression, despite the fact that the State Cabinet vide its decision No: 109/6/2018 Dated 11/05/2018 had approved the ACP scheme for Engineering Gazetted Services along with the similar scheme for the Gazetted Police and JKAS services. However in the Governor administration, vide SRO 215 of 2018 that Cabinet Decision was implemented only in favour of the Police and JKAS and Engineers were left in lurch.
The Government does not seem to be serious towards PDD as a large number of posts of CEs, SEs, XEns, AEEs. AEs, JEs are lying vacant in J&K. The Department needs 436 JEs, 163 AEs, 136 AEEs and 55 XEns.
In view of no response from the Govt, the PDD engineers have decided to go ahead with their protest program on Dec 30 in Jammu and Kashmir.
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