Public Works Department all set to lose engineering weight

In a huge administrative exercise, the Public Works Department (PWD), which boasted the largest pool of engineers, will see its size shrink to almost one-fourth.

The process of dividing the PWD, Water Resources and Rural Development & Panchayat Raj (RDPR) departments is now in its final stages after several differences regarding promotions and fixing seniority were resolved. Engineers and staff are given a choice to decide whether to opt to stay in the parent PWD or get attached to any of the other two departments.

According to sources, measures for trifurcation were initiated almost a decade ago and recently ministers in-charge of the departments met for the fifth time to finalise the process. “Earlier, cadre management of all engineers deputed to all departments - but majorly to RDPR and Water Resources, and the staff of establishment sections was done by the PWD, which is the parent department. With trifurcation, the responsibility of hiring and cadre management will now rest with the departments concerned.”

As of now, PWD manages around 7,500 engineers. Following the trifurcation, Water Resources will absorb around 3,500 engineers considering the number of projects taken up, while around 2,500 engineers will be assigned to RDPR. The PWD will be left with around 1,500-1,700 engineers, several of whom are deputed to various projects and boards such as the Smart Cities project.

The selection process is expected to be completed within a month. Till now, around 700 engineers have opted for Water Resources and 600 for RDPR.

Soon after the government issued an order in May asking all engineers from PWD, serving in Water Resources and RDPR to make a one-time choice on the department they want to be absorbed, a section of engineers had alleged that the decision would affect their career prospects.

When contacted, B Guruprasad, secretary to government, said that all issues such as seniority fixing, promotion and others were sorted out. “Several constraints in the trifurcation were resolved and measures are on to complete the process soon,” he said.