Editor,
Arunachal Pradesh currently operates two major recruitment bodies: the Arunachal Pradesh Staff Selection Board (APSSB) for Group C and D posts, and the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) for Group B and above posts.
For engineering aspirants, both bodies conduct examinations for critical technical posts, including assistant engineer (AE), junior engineer (JE), surveyor, junior estimator, and draughtsman. These posts form the backbone of the state’s public infrastructure workforce, and therefore the transparency and timing of these recruitments significantly impact thousands of students and unemployed technical youths.
However, based on recent experiences, it is clear that the current exam scheduling system has several loopholes, particularly regarding overlapping exams, delayed results, and dual-post qualification, all of which may result in large-scale vacancy wastage – a loss for both the candidates and the state government.
The AE recruitment conducted by the APPSC in July 2025 has already exposed multiple flaws. As reported widely, including in The Arunachal Times and other local news platforms, the process saw duplicate roll numbers issued across different posts; confusion in the shortlist and candidate allocation; and appeals and challenges from candidates.
The Itanagar Permanent Bench of the Gauhati High Court intervened and directed exclusion of duplicate roll numbers, and inclusion of more than 200 candidates who were earlier left out due to the APPSC’s oversight
These errors resulted in the postponement of the AE mains examination twice, and the exam was finally conducted on 8 November, 2025.
Such delays have pushed the APPSC far behind its recruitment timeline while damaging the credibility of the selection system.
Even before the AE results are declared, the APPSC has already released the notification for the common JE exam (400+ posts). The APSSB has also scheduled its exams for JE (26 posts), surveyor (16 posts), draughtsman (additional vacancies as applicable).
All of these exams are scheduled between December 2025 and January 2026, directly overlapping with the pending AE result.
This creates a highly problematic situation: dual qualification leading to vacancy wastage; if an AE candidate qualifies for JE or surveyor/estimator exam, the candidate will naturally prefer the higher post; this leaves multiple posts vacant because the same candidate qualifies for two or three posts, but chooses only one.
For example, 130 AE posts are under recruitment, 400+ JE posts (APPSC) 16 surveyor + 26 junior estimator posts (APSSB).
If just 130 AE candidates also clear JE or surveyor exams and later opt for AE, the following vacancies arise: up to 130 JE posts may remain vacant; up to 42 surveyor/estimator posts may remain vacant; this totals more than 170-190 vacancies left unfilled, simply because of overlapping timelines and delayed results.
Highly prepared AE candidates (Group A post aspirants) will naturally perform much better than average diploma-level candidates at JE/surveyor level.
This puts genuine JE-level candidates – especially those at the upper age limit – at a major disadvantage.
If dozens of posts remain vacant, the entire exam process has to be repeated, government resources, time, manpower, and finances are wasted, and aspirants must again wait additional months or years. This cycle has already happened before in other technical recruitments in the state.
Many candidates preparing for JE, surveyor, and estimator posts are already nearing the upper age limit.
If the vacancies remain unfilled due to dual selections, these youths lose their final chance.
It is not the candidates’ fault.
It is the fault of poor planning and scheduling by the commission and the board.
To avoid such complications, Arunachal urgently needs a structured recruitment hierarchy: First conduct exams for higher posts (AE, Group A/B), then declared the results in full (written + interview).
Then conduct exams for lower posts (JE, surveyor, estimator); complete one cycle before beginning another. This would ensure that there is no overlapping in recruitment, no dual-post qualification confusion, no wastage of vacancies, equal opportunity for all candidates, and more efficient utilisation of government resources.
Many states, including Assam, Karnataka, and Maharashtra, already follow this top-down recruitment structure. It is time Arunachal considers it too.
As technical students and future engineers, we respect the institutions responsible for our recruitment.
However, the recurring errors, delays, and overlapping schedules directly affect our careers and mental wellbeing.
Therefore, we humbly request the APPSC to expedite the AE result declaration, and the APSSB to coordinate calendars to avoid overlapping exams.
Adopt a top-to-bottom exam sequence (AE ? JE ? surveyor/estimator), prevent vacancy wastage due to dual selections, implement stronger digital and administrative safeguards to avoid mistakes like duplicate roll numbers, and ensure transparency and responsibility in recruitment processes.
This is not a criticism but a genuine appeal from thousands of unemployed engineers hoping for a fair opportunity.
Arunachal stands at a crucial juncture where systematic improvements in recruitment can greatly benefit both the government and the youths. The recent AE recruitment issues highlight the urgent need to strengthen procedures, streamline exam timelines, and avoid overlapping recruitment that results in large-scale vacant posts.
A concerned civil engineering aspirant