CHENNAI: A section of engineers in Tamil Nadu on Friday appealed to Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa to cancel the government order relieving superintending engineer A. Kuttalingam without any reason. Rural Development Assistant Engineers Welfare Association president S. Prakash in his petition said the official who was working honestly and efficiently had been relieved with ulterior motives leading to resentment among all engineers in the department.
"It is notable that efficient and honest officials are being honoured in Amma's rule and not being relieved", he said. All the projects undertaken by the rural development department are for creating infrastructure in villages. The works that should be taken up by several chief engineers and superintending engineers are being handled by a single superintending engineer. The copy of the petition had been sent to the state chief secretary and principal secretary for rural development.
More than 20 SEs are working in various departments like PWD, highways and water resources in the state. Similarly, the number of chief engineers in those departments is also high. As far as the rural development is concerned, only one SE is on duty and there is no chief engineer post too to carry out the works. Since Kuttalingam belongs to the SE cadre, he could not be given any other post in the department. In his place, an executive engineer from Namakkal A. Saravanakumar had been posted as additional charge. At a time when there is a demand to improve the rural development department and convert it into a separate wing similar to the PWD, highways and water resources, the absence of anyone at the rank of SE to monitor the works in the department is shocking for the engineers.
