Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved abolition of 9,304 posts in the Military Engineer Services (MES) as part of a mega reform process aimed at enhancing combat capability of the armed forces and re-balance military expenditure, officials said.

There will be no job losses in view of the decision as the posts identified for abolition are lying vacant for the last three years, they said.

“The proposal to abolish 9,304 posts in MES out of the total 13,157 vacancies of the basic and industrial staff has been approved by the defence minister,” a defence ministry spokesperson said.

He said the decision is in line with the recommendations made by a committee headed by Lt Gen DB Shekatkar (retd) as well as based on the proposal of the Engineer-in-Chief of the MES. 

The recommendation by the high-level committee was aimed at making MES an effective organisation with a leaner workforce, well equipped to handle complex issues in the emerging scenario in an efficient and cost effective manner.

Military Engineer Services

The Military Engineer Services (MES) is the premier construction agency and one of the pillars of the Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army which provides rear line engineering support to the Armed Forces. 

It is one of largest construction and maintenance agencies in India with a total annual budget of around Rs 13,000 crore. 

It is responsible for creating the strategic and the operational infrastructure other than major roads, as also the administrative habitat for all three services and the associated organisations of the ministry of defence. 

It has a pan-India footprint to provide engineering support to various formations of Army, Air Force, Navy and DRDO. For this, the MES has over six hundred stations spread across the mainland and the island territories of India. 

MES is a military organisation but has both Army and Civilian components of officers and other subordinate staff.

Its work programme covers, besides conventional buildings, hospitals, sophisticated and complex laboratories and workshops, high-rise buildings, air fields and hangars, dockyards, wharves, slipways and other marine works. 

Genesis of MES

The organisation was created over 200 years ago to execute both civil and military infrastructure. In the 18th century, the construction organisation was a part of the Army as the public works department (PWD) manned by the Indian Corps of Engineers was created under the control of a Military Board. 

By 1851, the PWD came under civil control but was responsible for both civil and military works. In 1881, The Military Works branch of PWD was segregated and transferred to the military department. The Military Works Services headed by a Director General came into being in 1889.

The ‘Army in India’ Committee (1919-20) placed the Military Works under the Quartermaster General and the Sappers and Miners under the Chief of the General Staff. The two engineering wings were combined under the Engineer-in-Chief. 

The MES was formed in December 1923 with the Engineer-in-Chief as the head.

The MES functions under the overall control of the Engineer-in-Chief, who is the adviser to the Ministry of Defence and the three services on operational and peace time construction activities. Engineer-in-Chief of MES is assisted by six Command Chief Engineers which further oversee 31 Zonal Chief Engineers.

Significance of MES

The MES is responsible for the design, construction and maintenance of all infrastructure assets of the Army, Navy and Air Force. It is structured to design works which are executed through contracts under the supervision of officers and staff consisting of both civilians and combatants from the Corps of Engineers. It has an integral multi-disciplinary team of architects, civil, electrical and mechanical engineers, structural designers, quantity surveyors and contract specialists for planning, designing and supervision of works. 

Besides conventional buildings, MES is largely involved in the construction of sophisticated and complex laboratories, factories and workshops, hospitals, airfields, runways and hangars, dockyards, wharves and other marine structures. It also deals with all the multifarious associated requirements such as air-conditioning, cold storage, electric and water supply, sewage treatment and so on. 

Most importantly, the facilities, assets and infrastructure created are maintained in a serviceable state and, in some cases, operated too, by the MES.

The MES also contributes significantly towards nation building and disaster mitigation. MES has been entrusted with a number of important projects, vital for the operational efficiency of the defence forces which include important infrastructure projects of the three services and also projects like the National War Memorial. 

As part of environmental initiatives, MES is undertaking several measures in the field of energy conservation, use of renewable energy and green technology. Solar energy power projects are being undertaken in various parts of the country. 

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