While the JD(S)-Congress coalition government has been on the brink, the Public Works Department is busy transferring and promoting its officials.
An association has now written to Governor Vajubhai Vala, accusing PWD Minister H.D. Revanna of “showing favours” to his community. Between July 6 and 12, about 650 engineers, from assistant/junior engineers to superintending engineers, were transferred, and many are expected to get the order in the next two days. “The cap of 2% of cadre strength being transferred has been violated. As many as 284 executive engineers have been transferred,” said sources, claiming that it was unprecedented.
The Karnataka State Government SC/ST Employees Coordination Committee has written to the Governor asking the Chief Secretary to stop promotions and transfers orders issued in the department and to nullify all departmental promotion committee proceedings made after July 1 in the interest of social justice in the State. It accused Mr. Revanna of “showing partisanship” to those belonging to his community, and of involvement in promotions and transfers in other departments too.
“As many as 634 engineers in different cadre have been promoted as against the available 520 posts. Despite our protests, promotions and transfers continue without proper procedures,” committee’s legal advisor D. Chandrashekaraiah told The Hindu.
Similar transfers have been effected in the Police and Revenue Departments, government sources said, but the numbers are higher in the Public Works Department. “When the government is facing instability, promotions are being rushed through,” said Mr. Chandrashekaraiah.
The department, which had delayed the promotion process even after Supreme Court issued the final order in the issue of reservation in promotion, started the process last week after government came under the threat of rebels.
While it started the process of filling up 15 vacant posts of chief engineers by shortlisting 34 superintending engineers, promotion of 216 engineers to the posts of executive engineers has raised eyebrows. There are 520 sanctioned posts of executive engineers of which 470 occupy the posts. On July 8, the department decided to allow 216 engineers to hold “in-charge” executive engineer positions through Rule 32. “The rule allows people to hold positions briefly. But, we do not know how so many in-charge posts were created,” a source said.