Bhubaneswar, April 21: The engineers of the state have threatened to go on mass leave from May 2 if their demands are not fulfilled by the end of this month.

In a memorandum to the chief minister, Naveen Patnaik, Orissa Engineers’ Service Association has rued the delay caused by the state government in addressing a nine-point charter of demands that the association had submitted earlier. The engineers’ demands include appointment of new personnel as secretaries in all engineering departments according to the recommendations of Administrative Reforms Commission-1967 that has been followed only in the works department.

The reforms commission’s verdict was strictly followed in Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Bengal and Maharashtra since long.

The association members rued the fact that water resources, housing and urban development and rural development departments were yet to follow the commission’s verdict. “If the government does not consider our demands by the month-end, all degree engineers will proceed on a mass leave from May 2,” said the panel’s general secretary, M.R. Nanda.

The charter of demands includes the abolition of pay anomalies and immediate recruitment in the vacant posts.

On April 20, the Orissa association had resolved to protest against the pay anomalies and the non-inclusion of engineers in the administrative cadre by sporting black badges. That was followed by a pen-down strike on April 25.

Engineers in mechanical, electrical, agricultural and pollution control board service have also joined hands with the state association, Nanda said. After the government revised the doctors’ pay scale, degree engineers have intensified their demand for a revised salary of Rs 13,500 at the entry level vis-à-vis the current pay of Rs 8,000.