JKEEGA seeks regularisation, reinstatement of engineers

Srinagar, July 10: The Jammu and Kashmir Electrical Engineering Graduates Association ( JKEEGA) sought the intervention of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha so that instructions to the concerned quarters were issued regarding regularisation of power engineers.

The JKEEGA said the engineering cadre of the Power Development Department is deeply perturbed by the continued neglect at all levels of administration towards their future prospects. Briefing about the matter, Er Pirzada Hidayatullah President JKEEGA said that the proposal of regularisation of power engineers which has been pending since the last so many years is being tossed from one table to another without any headway.

It said the regularisation of power engineers was pending since so many decades and as a ray of hope, the then State Administrative Council of J&K on 22 October 2019 approved the regularisation proposal of power engineers and directed that the proposal for regular promotion in the engineering cadre of the Power Development Department be processed for consideration of the Competent Authority in the Government through the Establishment-cum-Selection Committee, without reference to the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission, as a one time exception.

It added that SAC further directed that the process be completed by 30.11.2019. "However, in spite of the lapse of four and a half years, the decision is yet to see the light of the day. It is in place to mention that Instructions to complete regularisation of power engineers in a time bound manner were recently issued by LG’s Office vide No : LGS-92(PDD)ASAK/2023/3196-97, Dt : 28-08-2023 with instructions to submit action taken report. However no progress regarding the matter has been made by the administrative department of JKPDD except for one proposal in the pipeline which has been awaiting settlement of queries raised by Establishment Committee members since February 2024 thus one can gauge the dismal progress made in the instant case. Power engineers in current circumstances feel insecure as other sister concern wings viz-a-viz PWD, I&FC & MED have completed the regularisation process in a record breaking time that too when they had no special exemption like in our case."

Further briefing about recent developments where engineers were suspended for no fault of theirs, it was informed that " in spite of humiliation and hardships faced by engineers in field while implementing power reforms, the administration instead of supporting engineers in their quest for better services and implementation of power reforms, did the other way round and targeted engineers by way of suspending them." "Although engineers displayed patience while dealing with trauma caused by suspensions, followed due procedure post suspension and submitted replies to charge sheets 4 months ago, the suspension cases are yet to be decided subjecting engineers to further hardships. JKEEGA while briefing about progress made by engineers in curbing losses and improving billing efficiency informed that the comparison of targets for Ist quarter of FY 2023-24 & FY 2024-25 reveals improvement particularly when AT&C losses are concerned."

It was revealed that the same had been reduced to 40% during 2023-24 compared to 51% in 2022-23. Besides, it was revealed that the gap between the Average Cost of Supply (ACS) and Average Revenue Realised (ARR) has further got squeezed to Rs 2.18/kWh in 2023-24 from Rs 2.44/kWh in 2022-23.