Dhaka: Surveyors working in various departments of the government and survey diploma engineers working in equivalent positions have been suffering from extreme discrimination and deprivation for a long time. Engineers of the same rank are working in 10th grade but they are working in 14th, 15th and 16th grade.
Although the High Court and Bangladesh Work Commission (PSC) gave directions to eliminate discrimination, the previous government did not implement them. There is anger among the survey engineers.
It is feared that development activities may be hampered if disparities are not resolved quickly.
According to relevant sources, under the Bangladesh Technical Education Board four-year (previously three-year engineering diploma) survey diploma engineers are working as surveyors in various ministries, departments, directorates and organizations of the government.
They play a direct role in the initial stages of all the developmental works of the government.
As many diploma technologists under the Directorate of Technology, all of them are appointed to the post of Sub-Assistant Engineers in the second class, currently in the 10th grade, by the President's order Sam/Rule-164 of 1994.
There is clear approval of the Finance Department and instructions have been given to all departments. Whereas survey diploma engineers are working in 14th, 15th and 16th grade.
It is known that in 2005, in 178 (17) memorandum, the Ministry of Education requested to be promoted to Sub-Assistant Engineer and Pay Scale II like other Diploma Engineers. Apart from this, in 2013 and 2014, under the chairmanship of the additional secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration, the committee consisting of members of the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Lands, Ministry of Public Administration and the Cabinet wrote to the Finance Secretary recommending to promote them to the second class again from the welfare wing.
The Ministry of Lands then recommended implementation of Grade II (Grade 10) pay scale for Survey Diploma Engineers and Surveyors and equivalent posts in 2018 and 2019. The former prime minister and land minister also promised to implement those recommendations. The court also gave instructions to implement the recommendations. But none of the recommendations have been implemented yet.
According to ministry sources, since there has been no promotion or appointment for Kanungo and Sub-Assistant Settlement Officer posts in the Land Ministry for a long time, there are 1,250 vacant posts out of 1,400 posts, which is disrupting service in the field administration. Proposals are sent to PSC seeking recommendations to fill these vacancies.
In view of the Ministry's proposal, the PSC has recommended the promotion to the Ministry at the earliest. Among the 1013 people of PSC, when asked to promote in the order of seniority, and due to the eccentricity of some officials of the ministry, there is a gap in the promotion. But there is no complication in any promotion of administration cadre.
A surveyor can be promoted to the post of Kanungo after 10 years of service, but there is no promotion after 25-26 years of service. Their financial and human suffering has reached extreme levels. As a result, there has been widespread anger among those concerned. Talking to the beneficiaries, they said that the people's suffering can be reduced to a large extent if the land law is reformed and the land cadre is in place.
Member Secretary of Anti-Discrimination Survey Diploma Engineers Student-Professional Rights Implementation Council. Miraj Hossain said that the 10th grade pay scale has been implemented for other diploma engineers working in all government departments. But 10th grade pay scale of survey diploma engineers has not been implemented despite having equal and same educational qualification.
He said, after obtaining a degree in the same curriculum, some are second class officers, while others are working in third class. We want an end to this discrimination. The previous government promised but did not implement the recommendations in this regard. We demand the interim government to implement the recommendations. If the demand is not implemented immediately, the survey diploma engineers working in various departments of the government will announce a strict agitation program.