Delhi PWD to have separate engineering cadre to speed up development

The Delhi government has decided to develop a separate engineering cadre for the 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.

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Calling it a historic step, the chief minister said this would prove a milestone in transforming the national capital into a ‘Viksit Delhi,’ noting that the move represents a long-awaited structural reform, giving impetus to Delhi’s sustainable development and infrastructure projects, which will benefit citizens.

She added that her government’s decision was inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s guiding principle of “Reform, Perform, and Transform.”

In the presence of all the cabinet ministers at the meeting, she noted 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.

On the occasion, the CM also announced the 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. According to Rekha Gupta, this arrangement often slowed down the pace of work under the government and created hurdles in the way of timely administrative and developmental decisions.

Highlighting the urgency, she 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 is touted to help build a specialized, locally experienced, and long-term committed engineering workforce.

The CM said citizens of the national capital would directly benefit from faster and higher-quality services in infrastructure including roads, bridges, buildings, and other construction projects.