The issue of vacant senior engineering posts in key government departments has led to sharp exchanges between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), and the Congress. While the BJP has claimed that the absence of full-time appointments has delayed infrastructure projects, the JMM and Congress have said the departments are functioning under existing administrative arrangements and that procedural processes are ongoing.
BJP spokesperson Pratul Shah Deo said on Tuesday that departments such as Water Resources, Road Construction, Rural Works, and Building Construction have been operating without permanent Engineer-in-Chief-level officers. He said tenders above ₹5 crore require the approval of a committee chaired by the Engineer-in-Chief, and without permanent appointments, the system is either slow or inactive.
He said the Water Resources Department has no full-time Engineer-in-Chief on two sanctioned posts, and the REO and Building Construction Department are also functioning under temporary arrangements. “The government should clarify if it is unable to find qualified engineers or if it has changed the criteria,” he said.
Shah Deo also criticised the state for imposing a fee on pilgrims during the Sawan month at the Dalma temple site. He referred to it as a “Jizya tax” and said the decision should be withdrawn immediately.
JMM General Secretary Vinod Kumar Pandey said that the BJP was presenting an incomplete picture. He said infrastructure projects, including road, bridge, and irrigation works, are in progress. He said appointments to engineering posts follow laid down procedures and are under process.
On the Dalma issue, Pandey said the state is managing the annual Sawan pilgrimage by ensuring basic facilities. He said the fee is for maintaining infrastructure and was notified in advance.
Congress spokesperson Sonal Shanti said the use of in-charge officers does not imply a halt in decision-making. He said that the BJP itself had used similar arrangements during its tenure and that the process for large-scale projects is proceeding through due channels.
Shanti said DPR preparation, tenders, and monitoring are ongoing. He added that the BJP is raising issues of administrative appointments and religious matters to divert attention from core governance questions.