Srinagar, May 26: The Jammu and Kashmir Electrical Engineers and Graduate Association (JKEEGA) has issued a stern 17-day ultimatum to the government, demanding immediate regularization of Power Development Department engineers and threatening a statewide protest on June 12 over what they term as “step-motherly treatment” and arbitrary administrative decisions.
As per the JKEEGA statement, the ultimatum emerged from a crucial Guidance Council meeting held on May 24 at PDD Complex Bemina and Gladini Jammu, where engineers from Junior Engineer to Chief Engineer level condemned the government’s approach toward their long-pending regularisation and recent controversial post transfers.
The engineers’ frustration centers on the government’s failure to implement decisions made by the Establishment Committee on January 20, 2025, which had cleared the proposal for regularization of PDD engineers after a protest held in January. Despite the lapse of more than four months, the Minutes of Meeting from that crucial session have not been issued, raising serious doubts about the government’s intentions.
Er. Pirzada Hidayatulla, President JKEEGA Srinagar, and Er. Sachin Tickoo, General Secretary JKEEGA Jammu, led the meeting and expressed deep concern over the administration’s inaction. The engineers revealed that all democratic means including appeals to the Chief Minister, Chief Secretary, and other senior officers have been exhausted without success.
The Guidance Council was informed that unnecessary queries are being raised by one of the Establishment Committee members, deliberately delaying the issuance of Minutes of Meeting and subsequent regularization of engineers who have been waiting for their due rights since 2019, when the State Administrative Council had approved their regularization.
Adding fuel to the fire, the engineers strongly condemned Government Order No. 73 of 2025 dated May 20, 2025, which arbitrarily transferred 25 Assistant Engineer and 25 Assistant Executive Engineer posts from JKPDD to JKSPDC. This decision has been termed as a “hastily manner” move to benefit JKSPDC engineers at the cost of JKPDD engineers, diluting the Standing Orders 927 of 2019 and SO-134 of 2020.
The controversy stems from the historical context where JKSPDC was carved out from JKPDD in 1989, with assets transferred to the corporation without any sanctioned posts. To address this anomaly, the government had constituted a committee headed by Managing Director JKSPDC in 2021 to authenticate the actual sanctioned strength of engineering cadres.
Following the committee’s recommendations submitted in December 2022, Government Order No. 56-PDD of 2023 had explicitly laid down conditions to ensure strict checks on any diversions at any stage. The order clearly stated that posts already notified under various Standing Orders shall be filled by deputation from Power Development Department and shall not be available for promotion for JKSPDC employees.
The Guidance Council has resolved to take decisive action on two fronts. First, they have given the government a 17-day notice until June 12, 2025, for issuance of orders for regularisation of retired and in-service engineers of JKPDD as per State Administrative Council decision 258/22/2019 dated October 22, 2019, including issuance of Minutes of Meeting of the Establishment Committee meeting held on January 20, 2025, the statemetn said.
