Jammu, May 02: State Graduate Engineers of
all cadres (CEs, SEs, XENs, AEEs, AEs & JEs) and all wings (Civil,
Electrical, Mechanical) under the banner of State Joint Action Committee of All
J&K Graduate Engineers Associations led by Er.Gandeep Pargal, President
of All J&K Graduate Engineers Association observed one day Mass Casual
Leave as a mark of protest against discrimination with State Engineers.
In respect of issuance of SRO
for release of Time Bound Running Grades/ Assured Career Progression,
Regularization of services of Engineers at All levels, Cadre review in
Engineering Departments, Removal of Pay anomalies of Engineers at all levels
and enhancement of Fixed traveling allowance. A Mega Protest Dharna was
observed at Lok Nirman Bhawan, Rail
Head Complex, Jammu to
register its protest in which entire Engineering fraternity from all wings/
Departments participated with full enthusiasm.
Speaking on this occasion, Er.
Gandeep Pargal hailed the recent announcement of Finance Minister through media
that S.R.O for extending the benefits of Time Bound Running Grades/ Assured
Career Progression to J&K Engineering Gazetted Services at par with
doctors immediately after opening of Darbar at Srinagar, but at the same time
vociferously demanded
to make the announcement a
practical one without any further delay for which entire Engineering fraternity
is eagerly waiting. Er. Harvinder Singh President JK EEGA emphasized that the
Junior Engineer cadre has wrongly been placed in 4200 Grade Pay instead of 4260
for the last 7 years whereas in 2010 Govt., Govt. has already rectified Pay
anomaly of Junior Engineers but the administration is hesitating in
implementation of the same for which necessary order need to be issued.
Besides, Er. Deepak Gupta, representative of Mechanical Engineering Graduate Association
laid thrust on Regularization of services of Engineers at all levels on the
basis of Work and Conduct certificate / Integrity Certificate issued by HODs
and Counter signed by respective Administrative Secretaries for which the
Engineers are facing huge discrimination since last more than 30 years due to
which Graduate Engineers are forced to work on half salary and Retiring in the grade
of Junior Engineers inspite of serving as XENs and above. Er. Mujib
Tak Chief Patron GEASSOC and
other speakers stressed upon review of cadre in Engineering Departments which
has not been reviewed since 1987 whereas cadre of all the departments other
than Engineering Departments have been reviewed time to time.
Further implementation of
directions of Hon’ble Supreme Court regarding Release of Pay Band-4 in favour
of Superintending Engineers post in Toto was demanded. Speakers also demanded
enhancement of F.T.A. from existing Rs. 30/- PM to Rs. 5000/- P.M. In the light
of the above
present scenario, many young
and bright Engineers now-a- days becoming reluctant to join State Engineering
Services with the result the State is likely to be deprived of brilliant
Engineers in future which will be a set back to Govt. for implementation of
Developmental Agenda of the State. It was unanimously decided in the meeting
that if commitments made by the Govt. are not fulfilled at an earliest, the
Engineers will not refrain from taking any harsh mode of action to get the
issues resolved. The protest was followed by a peaceful Protest March from Lok
Nirman Bhawan towards Divisional Commissioner Office Jammu, amidst loud
sloganeering by Engineers for justice. Number of banners and placards were the
centre of attraction of the rally first of its kind and finally handed over the
Memorandum of Demands of Graduate Engineers to Divisional Commissioner Jammu
for onward submission to Hon’ble Chief Minister J&K.
Meanwhile, the association
deferred the further protest on the assurance by the Hon’ble Finance Minister
that the SRO will be issued immediately after the opening of Darbar at summer
capital Srinagar.
Prominent among those who
spoke on the occasion include Er. Z.A. Malik, Er. Gopal Sharma, Er. Rahat
Gupta, Er. Rajesh Bhagat, Er. Anil Thapa (General Secretary) Er. Ashish Bhasin,
Er. Ashok Tandon, Er. Neeraj Sharma, Er. Kulbhushan Bhau, Er. Sanjeev Sharma,
Er. Sumesh Hangloo , Er. Arafat Masud, Er. Mohd. Taj Choudhary, Er. Rajan Mengi
, Er. Sudhir
Kumar, Er. Mohinder Manhas,
Er. Avhineet Gupta, Er. Navneet , Er. Arush Mahajan, Er. Amit Sethi. Besides
many Chief Engineers, Er. Ashok Gandotra, Er. S.P. Manhas, Er. Amrish Raina,
Er. Ajay Anand and Superintending Engineers, Er. Ajay Singh Wazir, Er. R.K.
Gandotra, Er. Balbir Singh, Er. Des Raj Bhagat and many others also became part
of the protest. The protest
proceedings were conducted by
Er. Gopal Krishan Sharma. Vice President, GEASSOC.
