The Hindu : New Delhi News : Engineers’ federation peeved at Pay Commission report

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Engineers’ federation peeved at Pay Commission report

Aarti Dhar

Writes to PM expressing displeasure over ‘dwindling pay scales’

“Faith in pay commission belied”
Pay parity sought in Central services

NEW DELHI: The engineering cadre has expressed resentment over the recommendations of the Sixth Central Pay Commission, and said it was beyond their comprehension that the architects of developmental projects in post-Independent India — engineers and technologists — had been receiving poor pay scales, which have been dwindling in the succeeding pay panels.

“Even 60 years after our independence, the Sixth Central Pay Commission has failed to evoke any enthusiasm among the officers and engineers by awarding rational pay scales compared to general administrators,” the Indian Engineers Federation has said.

In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the Federation has said the recommendations have “simply belied the faith reposed in the Commission.”

“Engineers working in inhospitable environment risk their lives while fighting vested interests and corrupt groups to deliver goods but the Commission seems to have analysed the problems of the Central Engineering and Technical Services in just one paragraph. We reiterate our demand for complete abolition of the edge that the Indian Administrative Service officers have over everyone else and demand establishment of parity between all Central Services Group A officers, including the IAS,” the Federation chairman, Sisir Kumar Bannerjee, told The Hindu.

“The degree of stagnation at the upper end of these services is more acute and the prospects of career advancement, particularly bleak for scientists and technologists in the Central and State government services,” he said.

Increasing disparity

“After examining the Pay Bands, more so PB-3 and PB-4, and comparing them with the scales recommended in the Pay Commission, we find there are elements which will further increase disparity between the Central Engineering and Technical Services and the IAS. Only 10 per cent of the officers can avail themselves of PB-4 pay scale after 25-28 years of services as most will superannuate by then,” Mr. Bannerjee said.

The Federation has said that a system should be evolved whereby pay parity is maintained between engineering and other services to ensure at least equal, equitable opportunities for career advancement for the personnel to maintain their motivation and introduction of periodical cadre review.

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