Punjab News- Engineers demand fundamental right of promotion

Jalandhar, September 28, 2013: Joint Action Committee of Engineers of Punjab Water Resources Management and Development Corporation, Chandigarh has demanded through representation to the state government to give their fundamental right of promotion and sending back the engineers of Irrigation Department to their parent department who are on deputation.

A release issued by JAC said Punjab State Tubewell Corporation now Punjab Water Resources Management & Development Corporation Ltd. was established way back during 1971. The corporation was entrusted to execute the work for installation of deep tubewells for irrigation purpose and later on work of lining of water courses was also entrusted to PSTC (now PWRM&DC). The corporation is doing the same development works since then.

At the early stages, the corporation was taking the staff on deputation from Irrigation Department & Soil Conservation Department. Later on, quota for deputational staff i.e. Engineers from irrigation department was fixed. At present this quota for Engineer of Irrigation Department for Sub Divisional Engineers and Divisional Engineers is 25% and of Superintending Engineers is 50%.

The system of taking engineers on deputation from Irrigation Department to Corporation is continuing inspite of the fact that the engineers of corporation are more experienced and qualified than their counterparts for the works being executed by PWRM&DC. The engineers of the Corporation are continuously approaching the court to get their fundamental rights of promotion to the higher ranks. The government continues to send the engineers on deputation to the corporation inspite of the fact that their posts of Punjab quota in BBMB are laying vacant for the last so many years.

Recently the Court has quashed the directives of fixing of quota of engineers from Irrigation Department. The Punjab Government and the Corporation instead of implementing the decision have filed the L.P.A’s in the Court to stall the promotions of Corporation’s engineers. The Punjab Government is denying to give the fundamental right to the engineers of Corporation. These are having an experience of 30-35 years of experience of service and are on verge of their retirements. The Punjab Government is wasting precious government money to defend these cases and has filed two LPA’s for the same nature of cases, said JAC release, adding and the other two LPA’s which are to be filed in the pipeline.

Finally, the JAC release said “the engineers of the corporation are demanding through representation to the government and press note to give their fundamental right of promotion and sending back the engineers of Irrigation Department to their parent department who are on deputation.”