JKEEGA delegation meets CM Omar Abdullah to discuss power engineers' issues

Srinagar, May 16: A delegation of the Jammu & Kashmir Electrical Engineering Graduates Association (JKEEGA), led by President Pirzada Hidayatulla, met with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah at his Srinagar office yesterday.

The delegation discussed several critical issues affecting the power engineering fraternity including regularisation of power engineers and immediate issuance of pending Minutes of Meeting (MoM) from the Establishment Committee, filling vacancies at all levels with relaxation of service requirements at Chief Engineer (CE) and Superintending Engineer (SE) levels, implementation of salary disbursement through PaySys, and implementation of the Assured Career Progression (ACP) scheme.

The Chief Minister has scheduled a meeting with the Chief Secretary on May 19, regarding the issuance of the regularisation MoM. CM Abdullah assured the delegation that he would personally monitor the regularisation process to ensure every power engineer is regularised.

Regarding the vacancies, the Chief Minister committed to calling a meeting with the Principal Secretary, Power Department next week.

He acknowledged being aware of the "additional charge culture" prevalent in the Jammu & Kashmir Power Development Department (JKPDD), an issue also raised by MLAs, and promised to take appropriate measures to fill vacancies at all levels.

CM appreciated the role of power engineers and employees during the recent crisis situation and assured that their efforts would be reciprocated through resolution of all human resource issues. He also committed to extending the PaySys salary system to the Power Development Department, bringing it in line with other government departments.

On the ACP matter, the delegation briefed the Chief Minister about the cabinet decision's non-implementation and what they described as a "two-yardstick approach" between Kashmir Administrative Service (KAS) officers and engineers, noting that the same cabinet decision had been extended to one service while being denied to another.

JKEEGA has committed to regular follow-up to ensure these assurances are implemented.

Other delegation members included Er. Shabir Khan, Er. Abdul Majeed Salroo, Er. Fayaz Ahmad Wani, Er. Nisar Ahmad Rather, Er. Aijaz Jan, and Er. Muddassir Nabi.