Rural Development Engineers Petition Tamil Nadu Ministers Over Long-Standing Pay Anomalies

The Tamil Nadu Rural Development Engineers Association (TNRDEA) has submitted a petition to key state ministers in Chennai, demanding immediate intervention to resolve long-standing pay scale anomalies affecting roughly 1,500 engineers across Tamil Nadu.

The petition was formally submitted to the ministers handling public works, finance, and school education. According to the association, rural development engineers across the state have been enduring recurring monthly salary losses ranging between Rs 10,000 and Rs 15,000 since 2017 because of unrectified discrepancies in their wage structures.

TNRDEA general secretary SSS. Piragalathan stated that fair pay scales were originally sanctioned in 2010 under the 6th Pay Commission. However, those pay scales were subsequently slashed through government orders, including GO 71 and GO 404.

In their representation, the engineers called on the Tamil Nadu state government to implement and honour a Madras High Court judgment delivered on April 4, 2024. The court order directed the constitution of a new Pay Grievance Redressal Committee headed by a retired judge to formulate a permanent solution to the wage issues.

The association has outlined specific grade pay demands based on engineering cadres. They are seeking the restoration of grade pay to Rs 5,100 for assistant engineers, Rs 6,600 for assistant executive engineers, and Rs 7,600 for executive engineers.

In addition to the revision of grade pay scales, the engineers are demanding an immediate halt to treasury-level salary withholding during promotions. The association has also called upon the state government to facilitate direct talks between the engineers and finance department officials to address their grievances without further delay.