INDEF (NER) president Er Pura Tupe speaking at the Mid Term cum annual council meeting of INDEF (NER) in Kohima on July 22. (Morung Photo)
Our Correspondent
Kohima | July 22
Indian Engineers’ Federation (INDEF) North Eastern Region (NER) President, Er Pura Tupe today said that INDEF is trying for achieving three points national demand in the best interest of the engineering fraternity.
It includes; heading and manning of technical departments by technical personnel, removal of disparity in career values of engineers vis-à-vis administrative services and constitution of Engineering Commission.
He said this during midterm-cum-annual council meeting of INDEF (NER) at Hotel Japfü, Kohima in the presence of several engineers from seven NE states.
INDEF is an apex body of Graduate Engineers Services Association of around 2.00 lakh graduate engineers in state or central government services and its undertakings in the country. It has started its functioning since 1983 with it’s headquarter in New Delhi.
“There has been continuous erosion in the pay, status and career prospects of engineers in India since independence.
The role of engineers and technocrats in nation building has been recognized time and again in the country by many leaders of the nation and also by one and all,” said Er Tupe.
Stating that the bureaucracy should work as facilitator of Science & Technological Development and no way should be allowed to dominate over the professionals, he said, “it is a most shocking part that the engineering services all over the country are far lagging behind the civil services in respect of status, pay structure and carrier progression.”
Heading and manning of technical departments by technical personnel
He said that the secretariat- directorate model in technical departments will accelerate the working system with quality monitoring of technical projects. The appointment of Technical persons as secretary/joint secretary/deputy secretary in technical departments will remove all delay in view of growing manifold activities of Technical departments, engineers and technical officers are persistently contributing towards the development of Nation for creation of valuable assets.
The sustained efforts of the engineers and professionals have made the Nation proud to become one of most important developing Nation of the third World Countries.
Shelter, health, education, industry, transport, power, agriculture and communication network, are the fundamental objectives of Infrastructure development, Er Tupe said. These are dealt by the engineers and it will be more faster way if the technical departments are headed by Technocrats with the background of technical experience, he said.
Removal of disparity in career values of engineers
He said that though the engineers have the pivotal role in the development, they are not getting the due status and pay benefit like that of the officers of administrative services.
It is placed by INDEF to the Government as well as pay commission to redress the issue to keep parity between engineers and officers of administrative services in regards to status and pay benefit. In last 7th Central pay commission, it was recommended to keep two years difference between Central Gr “A” services of engineers and officers of Indian Administrative services. We demanded the batch parity in this regards so that the engineers may be motivated to do best for the development of Nation.
Constitution of Engineering Commission
He said that INDEF, an all India body of service engineers and technical officers of the central Government, Union territories, all the state Governments and undertakings appealed to constitute an Engineering Commission to Dr Monmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India on March 11, 2005.
“We have been representing before the Government of India since 1995. During the tenure of late Narshima Rao, the Former Prime Minister of India, in the matter of formation of an Engineering Commission under the cover of Constitution of India. On a subsequent date in the year 1997, the appeal of setting up of Engineering Commission was sent to the Urban Development department. by the Prime Minister’s office at the request of Indian Engineers Federation (INDEF).
The matter was also discussed at length with Late Indrajit Gupta, the then Union Home Minister, by the representatives of INDEF.
“We have also received one communication from ET Division and CPWD in 2000 pursuant to the above communication,” he said adding “we had represented to the Director General (Works), CPWD and also to the Ministry of Urban Development and to the Prime Minister's office.
Subsequently, a representation was given to President of India, Dr A PJ Abdul Kalam on August 5, 2005 in Hyderabad on Engineering Commission by Indian Engineers Federation, so that there should not be any disparity among the Engineers in the country, he said.
However, the representation was sent to the Ministry of Science & Technology on August 24, 2005 from President's Secretariat for appropriate attention.
“Engineers & Technical Officers are persistently contributing towards the development of Nation for creation of valuable assets. We believe that sustained efforts of the Engineers & Professionals have made the Nation proud to become one of most important developing Nation of the third World Countries,” he said.
It is needless to mention that shelter, health, education, industry, transport, power, agriculture and communication network, are the fundamental objectives of Infrastructure development.
Er Tupe said that was shocking to observe that though necessary steps have been taken by the Government of India for Constitution of Judicial Commission, Law Commission, Police Commission etc, due to fiat of bureaucracy, no positive move has so far been taken by the concerned authorities to constitute Engineering Commission, for which we have pleaded so long, despite the present Government, which has a definite mission and vision takes care the lead, in correct perspective and take appropriate steps to set up the Engineering Commission like other commissions.
He said that the sustained neglect to engineering professional is eating away the very vitals of the engineers and the technical professionals of the country in the matter of service, not only on account of Pay and Status, but also on overall production of quality of individual in different branches of technical subjects of specialization.
In view of growing complexities of activities of Technical departments, further fictionalization by inducting more technical personnel in the Secretariat set up of the Technical departments is a must to improve their functioning, he said.
“Time has come to overcome the hurdle created due to the shackle of bureaucracy and to take some positive steps towards the formation of Engineering Commission, in order to remove the disparity and inequality in respect of pay and status of Engineers and Technical Officers, the important constituent members of the society, for creation of national assets,” he said.
