Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, March 18 2009::
Civil Engineers of Public Works Department have threatened to go on a cease work strike with effect from March 24 if their demand to appoint the Chief Engineer of the Department from the Civil Division is not met by March 23. The Civil Engineers have submitted a memorandum in this regard to the Chief Minister today.
The memorandum primarily demanded to appoint only the senior most Civil Engineer to the post of Chief Engineer of the Department.
Maintaining that other senior Engineers who are from other streams would not be able to do justice in functioning the Department as a Chief Engineer, the Civil Engineers nominated M Lokendra Singh, who according to them is the senior-most Civil Engineer of the Department.
It is highly illogical for a person who has no basic training or rudimentary knowledge of design and construction of roads, bridges and buildings to become a Chief Engineer of Public Works Department, the Civil Engineers added.
The memorandum also demanded that no Electrical/Mechanical Engineer holding a post of Additional Chief Engineer or otherwise be allowed to hold the post of Chief Engineer and Additional Chief Engineer, which are Civil posts.
Maintaining that it will be wrong to presume that senior Engineers who have been holding the posts on temporary basis do not acquire the expertise/knowledge of construction, the memorandum demanded to consider such Engineers (Civil) as well in the appointment of Chief Engineer or other higher posts.
The memorandum also pressed the Chief Minister to allow to hold Civil posts by Civil Engineers only.
The Civil Engineers also demanded not to bring any outsider (Civil Engineer from other Departments) as Chief Engineer to PWD.