Water authority technical special rule: promotion of 2076 operators blocked

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A flaw in the technical special rule, implemented in the water authority after half a century of waiting, has put a shadow over the possibility of promotion of 2076 operators. There is no direct recruitment to the post of Mechanical Superintendent, their highest promotion. The promotion structure is Operator - Head Operator - Mechanical Superintendent. The operator qualification is SSLC and ITI Electrician/Mechanical Motor Vehicle Course. But when the special rule was revised, Diploma in Mechanical Engineering was also made mandatory for the post of Mechanical Superintendent. Following discussions with the unions, the draft special rule was published omitting this provision. However, this was overturned when the final order was issued.

The employees alleged that a mechanical engineering diploma was made mandatory to give promotion over seniority. The new rule also does not include promotion by transfer to the post of meter reader to last-grade employees. In 2016, 216 Head Operators were promoted to the supervisory post to increase the promotion opportunity of the operators and to reduce the workload of the Assistant Engineers at the section level. However, these were gradually eliminated. Now there are only 86 posts. No appointment is made for 29 vacancies. The special rule has been prepared by excluding those working in supervisory posts for more than seven years. The trade unions are demanding that they be promoted as mechanical superintendents on the basis of seniority.