Srinagar: The Jal Shakti Department of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir has formally issued a public notice inviting objections to the proposed draft of the Jammu and Kashmir Engineering Services Procurement Rules (published).
Issued on July 13, 2026 by Hitesh Gupta, Additional Secretary to the Government, the notification gives all stakeholders a strict deadline of seven days from the date of issuance to submit their comments or objections to the Administrative Department. After this stipulated deadline, no further representations will be accepted and the draft will be presented to the Standing Committee for finalization.
This fact marks the latest milestone in the structural evolution of the department, which has undergone several administrative transformations over almost five decades. The recruitment rules for the gazetted service were originally notified in 1978 under SRO-380, with subsequent amendments introduced in 1992 and 2006. However, at that time, the authorized strength of the various cadres under Schedule-I was never formally notified because the Public Works Department (R and B) operated with two separate wings. These comprised the Public Health, Irrigation and Flood Control Engineering wing, and the Public Works (R and B) and Mechanical Engineering wing. The two wings were officially separated in July 2009, making the Department of Public Health Engineering, Irrigation and Flood Control, later renamed Department of Jal Shakti in 2020, an independent entity. Its sanctioned and published strength was formally notified in 2012 and 2013, and then updated in October 2019 following the historic reorganization of the state into a Union Territory. Following a recent cadre review sanctioned in May 2026 to reorganize and restructure the service, the new draft rules were compiled and submitted to the Department of Training and ARI, which advised its public circulation for investigation.
The full annex attached to the notice details the updated hierarchy, pay scales and proposed qualification requirements for the department’s posted positions. At the top, the post of Technical Secretary, located at Level 14 (Pay Scale £1,44,200 – £2,18,200), will be filled by selection based on merit, suitability and service records from a seniority-arranged panel of five Chief Engineers (Civil). The post of Chief Engineer, classified at Level 13A (£1,31,100 – £2,16,600), will be filled by selection of Superintending Engineers (Class II) who possess a minimum of 18 years of total published service in the relevant branch of engineering. For the Class II selection post of Superintending Engineer, classified at Level 13 (£1,23,100 – £2,15,900), candidates are required to be promoted from the rank of Executive Engineer (Class III, Category-A). Eligible officers must have a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering or have passed Sections A and B of the AMIE (India) examinations, with at least 15 years of published service in their respective branch and at least one year of experience as an Executive Engineer.
Further down the hierarchy, Class III Executive Engineer positions, located at Level 11 (£67,700 – £2,08,700), will be filled through two promotion routes from the rank of Assistant Executive Engineer (Class IV, Category-A). Under this quota, 80 percent of vacancies are reserved for AMIE graduates or graduates with a minimum of six years of total Official Service and two years of experience in the current position. The remaining 20 per cent is allocated to diploma holders who have completed at least eight years of published service in total, including two years of experience as an assistant executive engineer. For Class IV Category A Assistant Executive Engineers at Level 10A (£56,600 – £1.79,800), the draft rules outline promotions from the Assistant Engineer Group (Class IV Category B). This incorporates separate promotion routes for degree holders requiring at least two years’ experience and diploma holders requiring at least three years’ experience.
For the recruitment of Assistant Engineers (Class IV, Category B) at Level 8A (£50,700 – £1,60,600), the department has proposed a split entry system. Direct recruitment will account for 20 per cent of these posts, open to candidates who have a civil engineering degree from a recognized Indian or foreign university, or those who have passed Sections A and B of the Institution of Engineers (India) examinations. Meanwhile, 60 per cent of the positions are scheduled for promotion to Junior Engineers with a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering with a minimum of two years of experience. The remaining 20 percent of the vacancies will be filled by promoting Junior Engineers who hold a diploma with at least three years of experience.
Additionally, the post of Daroga Canal (Supervenient Canal), also situated at Level 8A (£50,700 – £1,60,600), will be fully filled through promotion among Zilladars of the Irrigation and Flood Control Department. Candidates should be in the salary band of Rs. 9300-34800 with a grade salary of Rs. 4210/- (PR) and have accumulated at least five years of experience in that position, with selection determined in order of seniority.
To avoid administrative hurdles, the draft rules contain specific interim clauses for various promotion positions. For the posts of Executive Engineer, Assistant Executive Engineer and Assistant Engineer, rules dictate that if qualified candidates from a specific source (be it degree or diploma pipeline) are not available at the time of promotion considerations, eligible officers from the alternative stream may be appointed on a provisional basis. However, the rules clarify that such provisional appointees will not be given any preferential treatment or seniority benefits for higher promotions in future. Interested parties now have until early next week to file formal objections to these sweeping administrative proposals.