The Hindu : Karnataka News : State Government moves poll panel to promote engineers

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Karnataka

Karnataka

State Government moves poll panel to promote engineers

Sharath S. Srivatsa

Senior engineers question hurry in publishing final seniority list
The move is likely to affect 137 engineers

BANGALORE: In a move that has ruffled senior engineers in the Public Works and Water Resources Departments, the State Government has sought the permission of the Election Commission to promote a section of engineers on the basis of reservation.

The State, which is seeking to publish the final seniority list of Assistant Executive Engineer (Division 1) under the Karnataka Act 10 of 2002, has approached the office of the Chief Electoral Officer since the moral code of conduct is in force.

“At a time when the election code of conduct is in place, the move by the Government to seek permission for publication of final seniority list of AEE is politically motivated to benefit some communities. What is the hurry to publish the list now?” a PWD engineer told The Hindu.

Many objections had been filed against the publication of the final list after the provisional list was announced, he said.

“If the list is notified, the reserved category engineers (SC/ST) may get more benefit and more shares in the gradation list and their seniority may be placed above the general category engineers,” sources said.

Several officials, who fear being demoted once the list is approved, said that when the “Karnataka Determination of Seniority of Government Servants promoted on the basis of reservation (to the posts in the civil services of the State) Act 2002 has been questioned in the Supreme Court, the Government could have waited for the final order.

Sources pointed out that once the final seniority list of AEE Division 1 is announced, 35 engineers who were promoted as Chief Engineers and 65 as Superintendent Engineers in the Public Works Department and Water Resources Department during May 2007 are likely to be demoted.

Another group of 37 Executive Engineers promoted in April 2002 are also likely to be affected, bringing the total to 137, sources said.

Sources said that the Law Department whose opinion was sought in this regard has said that the provisional list of Assistant Executive Engineers could be finalised on the basis of Karnataka Act 10 of 2002.

However, the Law Department has said that while finalising the list, a note could be put up stating that the list is subject to the final orders of the Supreme Court in the matters pertaining to the validity of Karnataka Act 10, sources said.

EC directive sought

Meanwhile, Joint Chief Electoral Officer B.V. Kulkarni acknowledged that they had received the proposal to seek publication of the final list.

“As of now we have not approved it and we have sought directions from the Election Commission in this regard,” he said.

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