Engineers Demand Implementation of ACP Scheme in Jammu Kashmir | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: Engineering associations in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday urged the government to immediately implement the long-pending Assured Career Progression (ACP) scheme and address recruitment and pay-related issues, warning that prolonged delays have severely demoralised engineers across departments.

The Joint Coordination Committee of the Engineering Graduates Association, comprising the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Engineering Graduates Association and the Jammu and Kashmir Mechanical Engineering Graduates Association, raised concerns during a press briefing in Srinagar.

Addressing the media, Farooq Ahmed Ganie, President JKCEGA, and Firdous Ahmad Bhat, President JKMEGA, expressed serious concern over stagnation in the regularisation and career progression of engineers, particularly in the Public Works Department (Roads and Buildings). They said that while earlier progress had been witnessed in departments such as Jal Shakti and the Mechanical Wing of R and B, no tangible movement has been made in the past two years.

The committee said the ACP scheme, approved by the Cabinet with budgetary backing in 2018, remains unimplemented, depriving engineers of rightful career advancement for over two decades. Describing engineers as key contributors to infrastructure and development, the association said indefinite denial of career progression is unjustified.

The representatives expressed hope that assurances made by the Chief Minister regarding implementation of the ACP scheme would be honoured in the forthcoming Budget session for the financial year 2026–27, and sought issuance of a formal SRO to operationalise the scheme.

They also demanded that pay anomalies across different engineering cadres be addressed in the upcoming 8th Pay Commission, stating that without corrective measures, most engineers may end up receiving only one or two functional promotions throughout their careers.

Highlighting manpower shortages, the committee said there is an acute deficit of Junior Engineers, particularly in the Mechanical discipline, due to pending recruitment. It warned that the shortage is hampering the execution of public welfare and development works on the ground.

The Joint Coordination Committee appealed to the government to refer pending regularisation cases to the Public Service Commission and Departmental Promotion Committees to eliminate ad hocism.

The committee demanded immediate implementation of the ACP scheme within the current financial year, removal of pending pay anomaly issues at the JE level in the forthcoming pay revision, time-bound placements at all levels and urgent referral and filling of vacancies, especially in the Junior Engineer Mechanical cadre.

Concluding the briefing, the committee said the engineering community remains committed to public service and development but seeks justice, dignity and timely career progression to contribute effectively to the growth of Jammu and Kashmir.