SC-ST engineers denied promotion, claims Body

BHUBANESWAR: The Orissa State Scheduled Caste-Scheduled Tribe Youth and Student Council on Sunday alleged that assistant engineers, belonging to the scheduled categories, are denied promotion.  Council president Haladhara Sethy said gradation list of SC and ST assistant engineers, who joined Government service through regular process of selection since 2003, is yet to be prepared. While attempts are being made to promote general category assistant engineers, who joined on contractual basis and later their services were regularised, those belonging to SC and ST category are being neglected in the matter of promotion. Sethy claimed the irregularities are noticed in the Water Resources Department. The Department is yet to prepare the gradation list of the SC and ST category assistant engineers who were recruited in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007 through the Orissa Public Service Commission (OPSC). Steps are being taken to give promotion to 81 assistant engineers from the general category by ignoring the legitimate claims of the engineers from SC and ST category, he said. Saying that the departmental promotion committee (DPC) is going to meet shortly to consider the promotion of the 81 assistant engineers of the general category, Sethy said Vigilance clearance and confidential character rolls (CCRs) of the candidates have been obtained.  The Council has already drawn the attention of the National Commission for SC and ST and if necessary, it would approach the court of law to seek justice for the scheduled category engineers, he cautioned.