Graduate engineers protest their supersession

New Delhi, May 24 (UNI) Graduate engineers of the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) are protesting against a move to promote several diploma holding assistant engineers to the post of executive engineers, superseding 50 others who were senior in terms of service and had higher educational qualification.

Criticising the May 12 order of the CPWD, promoting assistant engineers to the post of executive engineers on an ad hoc basis, the general secretary of CPWD Graduate Engineers Association R S Naulakha said,''by improper and illegal interpretation of recruitment rules, assistant engineers who are senior in service possessing higher qualifications (degree in engineering) have been superseded by people who are not only junior in terms of length of service but also less qualified (having a diploma in civil engineering), which is in violation to principle of natural justice and various court orders.'' ''In making the promotion for the class 'A' post, the CPWD seems to have ignored the fact that these 50 (superseded) engineers possess diploma as well as degree in engineering. For, in the recruitment rule 96, which governs the promotion for the post of executive engineers, graduate engineers were given an advantage on meritorious ground by a relaxation of two years in qualifying length of service over the diploma engineers,'' he said.

''This unlawful, arbitrary and discriminatory step of CPWD has caused frustration among degree-engineers forcing them to to protest and burn their degree certificates in the presence of Urban Development Minister,''the general secretary added.

He alleged that the CPWD also violated the promotion procedure as per DOPT guidelines under ad hoc promotion where recruitment rules exist.

''By not following this method, in place of holding the DPC for year-wise vacancies, it bunched up the vacancies and created this mockery of rules by which more than 50 assistant engineers have been superseded and deprived of their right to be promoted,''Mr Naulakha said.

In support of their contention, he said that a similar decision by the CPWD in 1998, when degree holder assistant engineers were superseded, was struck down by the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), after it was challenged.

In its judgement, the CAT described the step taken by the CPWD as ''perverse interpretation/application of the RR'' and directed the department to reconsider the case of the applicant for promotion to the grade of EE following which the department corrected its order by promoting these superseded engineers.

UNI AR SB JN RK1706