Jaipur: Water supply operations of the public health engineering department (PHED) have slowed significantly following arrests and suspensions of engineers as part of the ongoing probe into alleged irregularities in Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).Fifteen engineers, four of them chief engineers, have been arrested or placed under awaiting poster order (APO) for their alleged involvement in cases related to the JJM “scam”.Officials claimed that several officers have been assigned additional responsibilities for the posts left vacant by the arrests and suspensions. In some cases, superintendent engineers have been performing duties of chief or additional chief engineers, they said.“With temperatures rising and multiple approvals needed for contingency measures, routine departmental work and service delivery have been adversely affected. The situation will go out of control if the water demand increases. Frontline workers from the ranks of junior engineers, assistant executive engineers, and executive engineers will have to face public wrath then. There have been instances in the past of them being heckled by residents because of water crisis,” a PHED official stated.PHED is already reeling under a shortage of staff as three out of the sanctioned 11 posts for chief engineers are vacant. Among the eight chief engineers, two have been arrested in the JJM scam and one has been put on APO. That has left only four chief engineers against the sanctioned strength of 11.“Conditions will get worse as one of the four working chief engineers retires by the end of this month. It means the department will officially have only three chief engineers to carry out the herculean task of supplying water to the entire state. The govt shall have to find a solution,” another official added.Senior PHED officials suggested the department and the investigating agencies should speed up the investigation so that if any engineer is found not guilty, he or she can be reinstated. They also suggested to implement the departmental promotion committee so that engineers can be promoted to fill the vacancies in senior positions.
JJM probe disrupts PHED work as engrs arrested, suspended | Jaipur News
