ACP delay demoralizes IIOJK engineers after decades of unfulfilled promises

The engineering community in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir has renewed its call for implementing the Assured Career Progression (ACP) scheme, citing decades of career stagnation that have negatively impacted morale and productivity.

The Joint Action Committee of Engineering Graduate Associations (JACEGA), representing civil, electrical, and mechanical engineers, has appealed to the Subcommittee examining the ACP and Time Bound Promotion (TBP) schemes. This subcommittee, which includes senior officials such as Shaleen Kabra, Additional Chief Secretary of the Jal Shakti Department, and Santosh D Vaidya, Principal Secretary to the Finance Department, is urged to act swiftly to address the engineers’ concerns. Their work has been acknowledged as a positive move toward resolving the long-standing grievances of the engineering cadre.

Engineers in the region have been instrumental in developing infrastructure across critical sectors like health, water supply, roads, and power. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they played a vital role in maintaining electricity and oxygen supplies amid severe challenges. Despite these significant contributions, career stagnation remains a persistent issue, leaving many engineers demoralized.

The demand for the ACP scheme spans over three decades. Although the government announced the scheme for gazetted engineers in the Union Territory as part of the 2018 Budget, it has yet to issue a formal Service Regulation Order (SRO). Meanwhile, similar schemes for cadres such as the Kashmir Administrative Services (KAS) and the Kashmir Police Services (KPS) were implemented promptly. Engineers continue to wait for the government to fulfill its promise, hoping for overdue recognition of their crucial contributions to the region’s development.