Why even ‘Top Grade’ Engineers from IITs rush for IAS stream & not even IES (Indian Engineering Service)?

Gazetted Engineers in J&K unfairly treated by not providing even Non-Functional (Monetary) Promotions

Daya Sagar

The graveness of uncertanity in promotions and uncertainity in timely regularisation of the officers even in gazetted services in states like J&K is a subject of common discussions and in this regard even courts have made unpleasnt observations like has been in the case of handling service matters of Gazetted Services of Engg. Deptts like PDD/PWD. Not only that the progress of Engineers in State services / Ut services is in a way so stunted that one cannot in normal course rise above the level of Chief Engineer, all senior posts in Administrative Departments like Power /PWD/ Energy etc are marked for cadres from civil services; and the position of gazetted cadres of J&K Health & Medical Education Department too is like that as regards senior positions in government administration / planning.
The level of so often claimed “good governance” could be well gauged from the facts (i) it was in the year 2013 that J&K PDD vide pdd/v/74/2003 07/03/2013 even issued a notification of retirement of some officers asI/C CE , I/C SE, I/C EE and I/AEEs where as there is no post like I/C ( Inchage) (ii) that PDD order / notification- 35 of 13-02-2015 that circulated seniority list of officers where in even those who had retired as I/C Chief Engineers were mentioned as AEEs.So there exists must need for review of existing career progress rules as laid for State gazetted service officers so as to ensure career related justice / undo growing frustrations even in high caliber youth who seek entrance in Engineering / Medical colleges through tough competitions.
The posts of Administrative Secretary have been held mostly by the IAS Officers ( many amongst them are academically from engineering / medical streams ) whose wisdom cannot be questioned and hence may be the position is so bad because there are no guidelines / principles regarding promotion of Gazetted Officers in Engineering Departments (like PDD/PWW) available with the Administrative Secretaries to operate upon as have been circulated for IAS cadres ( vide no. 20011/4/92-AIS-II of 28-03-2000 (Guidelines/ Principles Regarding promotion of members of the Indian Administrative Service and composition of Departmental Promotion Committees) by Department of Personnel and Trainings of Ministry of Personnel & Pensions GOI. May be Adm. Secretaries are also overloaded and service rules of State services too create problems for promotions and postings of even JKAS/JKPS officers due to some posts being cadre posts. The officers in other Gazetted services of J&K even from among the direct recruits have been regularly expressing frustrations /their facing career humiliations since 1980s.
Any how if not progress by status atleast progress by wages has been assured for some Gazetted Services like Allopathic Doctors in the form of Non- Functional / Time Bound GradePromotions and like {G.O No:595-HME of 1988 dated: 2/07/1988 & G.O No.388-HME of 2005 Dated : 30-06-2005 (10,15,20yrs) , ISM Doctors ( G.O No.493-HME of 1999 dated 05.10.1999 &G.O No.242-HME of 2008 ) , Vetarinary Doctors ( After 10,15,20 years SRO 43 OM No:. A/98(2001)-115 dated 17/11/ 2005 & in terms of a Cabinet Decision vide G.O no.3- ASH of 2010 of January 2010 ), JKAS Offficers-933-34800GP4800 (Notofication SRO-198 Dated 25-04-2018 <10yr-15600-39100GP,14 yrs-15600-39100GP7600,18yrs-37400-67000GP8700>) and JKPS officers-9300-34800GP4800 SRO-215 of 18-05-2018 <10yr-15600-39100GP,14 yrs-15600 -39100GP7600,18yrs-37400-67000GP8700>} but even that relief has not been yet provided to Engineering Gazetted services. Even all non Gazetted services are assured grade promotion { in situ promotion – SRO-14 of 1996 J&K Civil Services (Higher Standard Pay Scale Scheme) Rules, 1996 }.But Engineering Gazetted Services in J&K have not been yet given such relief.
No doubt media reported on 11-05-2018 that J&K Cabinet had accorded sanction to the implementation of something like the Assured Career Progression (ACP) Scheme in respect of the Gazetted Services Engineers (PDD/PWD/PHE/R&B etc ) to ensure a minimum of 3 Time Bound promotions in a span of 20 years and had authorised the Finance Department to notify the Scheme. It is 3 years after that but still no notification in sight.
The graveness of the decades old mess in handling of Gazetted Services of Engg. Deptts. of erstwhile State of J&K/ UT of J&K can be seen from fact that even State Adm. Council had vide SAC Decision No 258/22/2019 of 22-10-2019 had directed that I/C promotions J&K PDD Engineers be decided by Establishment cum Selection Committee by 30-11-2019 by even by bypassing the PSC as one time exception but even after 13 months of dead line there may still be some retiree I/C CEs drawing pension as AEE and Government of J&K had to in the matter of writ petition WP(Civil) No. 94612020, titled Ghulam Hassan Rather v/s UT of J&K constitute a Group of Officers vide Order No:1172-JK (GAD) of 2020 Dated:31.12.2020for proposing with in a period of 4 weeks a roadmap/way forward for putting an end to the practice of making ‘adhoc promotions’ in various Govt. Deptt. with Secretaries of Finance, PW(R&B), GAD, ARI &Trainings , Law/ Justice / Parliamentary Affairs as members.. As per information available the proposal may be still awaited.
So, why not in the meantime order Non-Functional (Monetary) Scheme (NFS) Grade Promotions for Gazetted Engineering Services also as has been done JKAS/JKPS in 2018 or the like was already there for Allopathic Doctors / Dental Doctors/ISM to atleast compensate for monetarry loss if not also for “status” loss.
Now in UT of J&K with a person like Sh. Manoj Sinha who has firm commitment for “Alround VIKAS” of people and lands of J&K holding the position of Leightenent Governor it could be hoped ( now brought in his notice) that atleast what J&K Cabinet is said to have considered on 11-05-2018 or like could be accorded sanction i.e Assured Career Progression (ACP) Scheme in respect of the Gazetted Services Engineers PDD/PWD/PHE/ etc to ensure a minimum of 3 Time Bound grade promotion in 20 years.
(Daya Sagar is a Sr Journalist and a social activist [email protected])