Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR : The Arunachal Pradesh Aggrieved Aspirant Joint Steering Committee (APA-AJSC) on Saturday alleged serious irregularities in the recruitment process conducted by the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) for Assistant Engineer (AE) and Junior Engineer (JE) posts under the Rural Works Department (RWD) and Hydro Power Development Department (HPDD), claiming that the existing recruitment rules unfairly encroach upon Civil Engineering vacancies.
Addressing a press conference here, APA-AJSC chairman Er Mering Rana demanded immediate corrective measures in the recruitment process and called for the termination of all Agriculture Engineering candidates recruited to AE and JE posts under the RWD and HPDD through the APPSC.
The committee urged the state government and the APPSC to review the recruitment rules, rectify what it described as anomalies in the examination process, and ensure that Civil Engineering posts are filled only by candidates possessing the requisite professional qualifications. It also called for measures to safeguard transparency, merit and public safety in engineering recruitment across the state.
Rana alleged that the inclusion of Agriculture Engineering candidates in the Arunachal Engineering Service Examination (AESE) and Junior Engineer Common Recruitment Examination (JECRE) for Civil Engineering posts violates recruitment norms, compromises professional standards and adversely affects Civil Engineering aspirants.
Claiming that there is a fundamental mismatch between the two disciplines, Rana said Civil Engineering covers structural design, transportation, surveying, geotechnics and public infrastructure development, whereas Agriculture Engineering primarily focuses on farm machinery, irrigation, soil and water conservation, and post-harvest technology.
“Treating the two disciplines as equivalent for recruitment to Civil Engineering posts is academically and professionally unjustified,” Rana said.
The committee also questioned the examination pattern adopted by the APPSC, alleging that separate question papers were set for Civil Engineering and Agriculture Engineering candidates despite both competing for the same Civil Engineering vacancies. Such a system, it claimed, violates the principle of uniform competition and creates disparities in the evaluation process, potentially affecting merit rankings.
It further argued that allowing non-Civil Engineering graduates to occupy engineering positions in departments responsible for roads, bridges, dams and other public infrastructure could compromise engineering ethics, safety standards and the efficient utilisation of public funds.
Referring to recruitment practices followed by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), the committee alleged that Agriculture Engineering candidates are not eligible to compete for Civil Engineering services under the UPSC, whereas the APPSC has permitted them to appear in the AESE, describing the move as inconsistent with established recruitment norms.
The committee maintained that the core responsibilities of the HPDD and the RWD require specialised Civil Engineering expertise, as both departments are primarily engaged in the construction of dams, roads, bridges and other major infrastructure projects. It asserted that Agriculture Engineering follows a different academic framework under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) guidelines and does not provide the specialised training required for such assignments.
The APA-AJSC also pointed out that Agriculture Engineering candidates were reportedly declared ineligible for the recently conducted JECRE for the HPDD, while they were allowed to appear in the AESE for similar Civil Engineering posts. It termed the differing eligibility criteria contradictory and sought uniformity in future recruitment.
Warning of legal action, Rana said, “We shall initiate legal proceedings against those responsible for these irregularities in the AE and JE recruitment process.”
