Bhubaneswar, May 17: The trend of not many women becoming civil and mechanical engineers is gradually changing. A large number of women are breaking into what is traditionally considered to be a men's preserve.

The state government recently handed over appointment letters to 675 assistant executive engineers (651 civil and 24 mechanical), who had cleared the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) test. Interestingly, 238 of them are women, eight in mechanical and 230 in civil. They have been placed under works department, housing and urban development department and water resources department.

Sangita Pani, who completed her civil engineering degree from IGIT, Sarang, said she faced a lot of difficulties from her family. "Women are compartmentalised into doing 9-to-5 jobs and looking after the family. My family had said I would not be able to complete the course. But I was determined, and today they are very proud of me," said Sangita.

She says she had been interested in construction and designing since childhood. "I found the field quite exciting. Visiting sites and building other people's homes was what I aimed at," said the young engineer.

The story of Sujata Dishari is not very different. "I have struggled a lot. Frankly, when I was born my parents were not very happy because I was a girl. I had to fight a lot of discrimination to receive education and then they were reluctant to allow me to enter this field. They wanted me to get married and lead the life of a homemaker," said Sujata, who, after completing her degree in 2010 had taken up a job for Rs 5,000 to sustain herself.

Coming from a backward district such as Nabarangpur, she is proud of her achievements.

"I am really happy that my hard work has paid off. I am ready to face the upcoming challenges now," she said.

This is the highest number of women engineers to be ever recruited for field job.

"Earlier, only a small number of women got field jobs. Since 2004, the number of engineers recruited for field jobs was in the range of 50 to 100," said Bratati Harichandan, joint secretary of the state works department. She added that earlier, most of the women were mostly confined to office work.

"This recruitment will change the dynamics of the way women are hired for engineering jobs. Most of these women will be involved in fieldwork. We are extremely positive that they will deliver better than their counterparts," she said.

The candidates are now undergoing basic training at various centres. Following the two-month session, they will be posted at various locations, including remote areas such as the KBK districts. But these women are not deterred.

"My husband and in-laws are extremely supportive and they have assured to take care of my child wherever I go so that I can pursue my career. My husband says if I quit my job, it would also set a very bad example for my child," said Subhrata Meher, who completed her engineering degree in 2008. She said there were only 16 students in her batch at that time.

Priyanka Sahu, another candidate who passed engineering in 2013 from VSSUT, Burla, said: "Working in rural areas will be challenging, but I am prepared for it."