Engineers protest suspension of SE for not ‘answering’ minister’s phone call

The Haryana Power Engineers’ Association staged a protest against suspension of Superintending Engineer (SE), Jind, for not “answering” a minister’s phone call.

Ravinder Ghanghas, general secretary of the association, said there had been a strong sense of resentment among engineers over the suspension of Hari Dutt, SE, Jind.

They called for the withdrawal of the suspension without delay. Around 70 officers participated in the protest. The association warned to intensify the agitation if their demands were not met.

The union also discussed the issue of the blockage of promotion channels for engineers at all levels.

Baljeet Beniwal, senior vice-president of thee association, said the agenda concerning promotion from SE to Chief Engineer was withdrawn by the administration wing, thereby halting promotion opportunities for SEs, XENs, and SDOs. He added that many Chief Engineers currently hold dual charges, which was delaying the restructuring process concerning SDOs and XENs, even though it had been approved by the Haryana Bureau of Public Enterprises in 2021.

The association also pointed out that there has been an increase in the number of consumers, with several sub-divisions now handling more than 40,000 consumers.

Ashish Modi, president of Hisar zone, said out of 29 posts of XENs approved by the HBPE in 2021, only two ha been filled so far. Moreover, districts like Charkhi Dadri and Nuh still do not have a single SE, thus forcing consumers and employees to travel to other districts for essential services.

The delay in implementing the restructuring plan by the administration wing has been affecting the timely delivery of services as mandated under the RTS Act, and the RTS Commission is imposing penalties for the delays, the association stated.

Haryana Tribune