JKMEGA expresses concern over staff shortage in mechanical engineering cadre

Srinagar, June 1: The Jammu and Kashmir Mechanical Engineering Graduates Association (JKMEGA), in its Executive Committee meeting expressed serious concern over the acute shortage of personnel in the mechanical engineering cadre across key government departments. The association warned that continued administrative inaction is severely hampering public service delivery and pushing professionals toward agitation.

Several vital divisions across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir have been functioning without Executive Engineers (XENs) for months. The absence of Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) has stalled departmental operations and delayed salary disbursements, critically affecting the functioning of essential public utilities.

According to the statement, for the first time, even the Jal Shakti Department has been left overburdened, prompting the government to assign additional charge of vacant Executive Engineer posts to Superintending Engineers, as per Government Order No. 134-JK(JSD) of 2025 dated May 31, 2025. The same order acknowledges that repeated requests to the Public Works Department (R\&B) for the deployment of mechanical staff have been ignored, directly impacting the public service delivery system. JKMEGA highlighted a growing number of vacancies across the mechanical engineering cadre, including Executive Engineers (XENs), Assistant Executive Engineers (AEEs), and Assistant Engineers (AEs). The association also flagged the prolonged delay in promoting eligible Junior Engineers (JEs) to the post of Assistant Engineer, despite existing vacancies and available merit. This stagnation, it said, has demoralised professionals and affected overall departmental efficiency.

The association has called on the administration to immediately expedite promotions of JEs to AEs, refer vacant JE posts to the Services Selection Recruitment Board (SSRB), and restore the functional engineering hierarchy within the Mechanical Engineering Department (M\&HED), Jal Shakti, and the Housing and Urban Development Department (H\&UDD).

JKMEGA has appealed to the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, Chief Secretary, and Secretary R\&B to urgently address these issues. The association stressed that restoring the engineering chain of command is essential for effective governance, continuous public service delivery, and the dignity of the engineering profession.

If no concrete action is taken in the coming days, the association has warned that peaceful protest may become unavoidable, the statement said.