New Delhi, Sep 3 (UNI) The Delhi Government has decided to establish a separate engineering cadre for Public Works Department (PWD) to accelerate development-related construction works and fix accountability.
The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.
Calling it a historic step, the Chief Minister said this would prove to be a milestone in transforming the national capital into a ‘Viksit Delhi.’ The move represents a long-awaited structural reform, giving impetus to Delhi’s sustainable development and infrastructure projects, which will benefit citizens.
Gupta added that her government’s decision is inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s guiding principle of “Reform, Perform and Transform.”
In the presence of all cabinet ministers, Ms Rekha Gupta said that until now, the Delhi PWD did not have its own independent engineering cadre, and its engineering services were entirely dependent on the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) cadre.
The CM also announced formation of a high-level committee to design the structure and functioning of the new cadre, and in the initial phase, CPWD officers willing to join will be accommodated. If the required strength is not met, alternative recruitment mechanisms will be adopted based on the committee’s recommendations, subject to approval by the competent authority, she added.
At present, the PWD’s engineering wing in Delhi comprises 3,214 sanctioned posts across 36 categories, all belonging to the CPWD cadre, with appointments made by the Central Government.
She further said this arrangement often slowed down the pace of work under the Delhi government and created challenges in taking timely administrative and developmental decisions.
Highlighting the urgency, the CM said the Delhi government must quickly construct new infrastructure including a state-of-the-art Secretariat, mini-secretariats in all 11 districts, mandis, sports complexes, and other administrative facilities.
She noted that this would only be possible if Delhi had its own engineering cadre.
“For the past 30 years, no decision was taken on this critical matter. That is why the Cabinet has now approved the creation of a separate cadre for engineers,” she added.
With this decision, the state government will have authority to recruit engineers independently, and fill vacant posts without delays.
The move will help build a specialized, locally experienced, and long-term committed engineering workforce.
She added that citizens of the national capital will directly benefit from faster and higher-quality services in infrastructure including roads, bridges, buildings, and other construction projects.
