Diploma engineers threaten stir, submit demands to govt

Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 14

Diploma engineers working in different departments today threatened to go on an indefinite strike if their demands are not met.

Under the banner of the All J&K Diploma Engineers Association, engineers are demanding adoption of the Punjab pattern for promotion of the technical staff in civil, electrical and mechanical engineering wings. Today a protest was organised after which a charter of demands was submitted to the government.

“Presently a junior engineer gets Rs 30 per month as a fixed Travelling Allowance (TA). Since every junior engineer who is holding the charge of a section has to cover an average distance of 15 km per day, Rs 1 per day for covering such a distance is a cruel joke. We demand enhancement of this from Rs 30 to Rs 5,000 per month,” the association demands.

Association president Upinder Singh asked the government not to neglect engineering cadre anymore as they had faced neglect for years. He also called for the restoration of Grade-I to all the junior engineers, which has been pending for last several years.

“The meagre quota of 20 per cent earmarked for diploma engineers in promotions from AE to AEE and AEE to XEN should be strictly adhered to as per the recommendations of the Establishment-cum-Selection Committee,” said Upinder Singh.

He said the entry-level grade for diploma engineers was lowered from time to time with the implementation of successive pay commissions. “The entry-level grade should be restored from Rs 5,000-8,000 to Rs 6,700- 10,700 (pre-revised) as per the recommendations of the committee constituted by the government,” Upinder Singh said. A large number of diploma engineers working at the level from junior engineer up to the rank of executive engineer participated in the protest.

They said the growing injustice and neglect to a cadre, which was rendering unique and significant services to every nook and corner of the state, had become intolerable.