There have been vacant positions in the engineering department of the Chandigarh UT administration and Municipal Corporation for several years now. Officials have been appointing junior officers to higher-ranking positions with additional charges. The engineering department plays a crucial role in the development and administration of any government, but the fact that qualified officers’ positions have been vacant for many years is hindering progress.
In recent years, the engineering department has not been calling executive engineers (XENs) on deputation from Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh to fill these vacant positions. In the engineering department, an Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) currently holds the charge of executive engineer (XEN) for four divisions. This practice has raised concerns as it may not be legally appropriate to assign the work of one division’s XEN to the ADC.
The situation has led to delays in government work and has caused inconvenience to the public. People often have to wait for officials to arrive or are uncertain about when their work will be completed.
Additionally, junior engineers (JEs) have been given additional charges as ADCs. Many Assistant Divisional Engineers (XENs) have also been given additional charges, further complicating the situation. This situation has arisen partly because of the delay in promoting Assistant Divisional Engineers (XENs), leading to the controversial practice of assigning additional charges.
It is worth noting that in the entire engineering department of the administration and Municipal Corporation, there are three Executive Engineers (XENs). One of them, who is in charge of the Public Health Division, is also holding the additional charge of Executive Engineer (XEN) for Roads. Another is a female Executive Engineer (XEN) who recently applied for VRS. The third is Anil Dhameja, who is an Executive Engineer (XEN) in the Electricity Department. According to available information, several officers in the administration and Municipal Corporation are also assigning contracts to their friends and relatives. The engineering department in Chandigarh has been facing multiple challenges, including the practice of assigning additional charges to junior officers and delays in promotions. This situation has been affecting the efficiency of government work and causing inconvenience to the public.