Diploma engineers threaten to go on mass leave

ODESA has been demanding junior engineer post be upgraded

They demand equal pay scale for all diploma engineers

ODESA to stage protest on December 2 and 3
Hindu correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: About 7,000 diploma engineers have threatened to go on mass leave from January if the State government failed to restructure their cadres by ensuring at least one promotion during entire service period.

Addressing a press conference here on Friday, Orissa Diploma Engineers’ Service Association (ODESA) president Nirmal Chandra Swain said, “about 90 per cent of diploma engineers are retiring in the same post, in which they are appointed, without getting a single promotion. On the other hand, degree engineers are getting at least three to four promotions in their cadre”.

State government decided to restructure the engineering cadre and to upgrade the assistant engineer post to assistant executive engineer post with junior class-I status which would further damage prospects of getting promotion, Mr. Swain pointed out.

He said ODESA has long been demanding junior engineer post be upgraded to assistant engineer post with class-II status.

“Further the diploma engineers have demanded to reserve 33 per cent promotion in the post of assistant executive engineers and executive engineer with a view to give at least one promotion to diploma engineers during their entire service period,” said Narendra Kumar Nayak, general secretary of the association. “However, our demands have never been given due attention.”

In addition, diploma engineers demanded equal designation and equal pay scale for all diploma engineers posted in different departments, discontinuance of posting of diploma engineers under contractual basis and empanelment of diploma engineers posted under different schemes in Panchayati Raj Department.

ODESA has announced to stage demonstration on December 2 and 3 in front of the State Assembly highlighting the demands.

If government failed to address their concerns by the end of December, diploma engineers would be compelled to adopt seize work programme on protest till they get justice, ODESA president said.

He claimed about Rs. 12,000 crore worth developmental works could be severely hampered due to their cease work campaign.