Govt reverses order on chief engineers, DPAR to handle service issues

BENGALURU: Chief engineers in Karnataka can breathe easy. The Karnataka government on Monday ordered that its order of December 2021 on chief engineers and departmental matters concerning promotions, transfer and inquiry, be struck down and the pre-December 2021 order be brought back. According to this, the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) will look after all departmental matters. 

Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) additional chief secretary L K Atheeq signed the government circular after considerable deliberations on Monday. 

The order in question had given powers of promotion, transfer and inquiry to the respective departments, like RDPR, PWD and water resources, which had led to complaints and grievances by chief engineers. After a string of challenges, the state government ordered that the system be reverted to that which existed in the pre-2021 period. A reliable source said this has been in effect in Karnataka since 1978, and DPAR looked after all service matters, including promotion of superintendent engineer to chief engineer, and chief engineer to engineer-in-chief and other important service issues.

On reverting to the system of 1978, experts said there were very few engineers back then, but now there are 72 chief engineer and 10 engineer-in-chief posts. Promotions based on seniority are acceptable but when other yardsticks are applied, there is a lot of heartburn, they said. 

Last year, in a surprising move that led to much confusion, the DPAR issued a circular transferring service particulars, including the promotion of the chief engineer and engineer-in-chief from DPAR to the department concerned. Files of Lokayukta, CBI, Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax cases, which were earlier dealt with by DPAR, were also transferred to the respective departments.