JAMMU: In a major move aimed at restructuring the Public Works (R&B) Department, the Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday ordered the re-organisation of cadre and rationalization of jurisdiction of its subordinate and field offices, making them co-terminus with territorial limits of divisions, districts and blocks of the union territory.
The restructuring of the vital department was initiated way back in August 2020 by the then Lieutenant Governor, G C Murmu, in November 2022, his successor Manoj Sinha-led Administrative Council—equivalent to Cabinet in popular government, had approved the same.
A number of posts have been abolished, converted while a number of posts and departments have been renamed and redesignated. The government has set 1st April 2023 deadline for the operationalisation of the restructuring, while creating 782 posts in different categories by corresponding reduction of existing 1182 posts of different categories in the PW(R&B) Department.
Read Complete Order Here: Restructuring of PW(R&B) Department
The government has also initiated the exercise of distribution of Assets (Roads, Bridges and Buildings), liability, and contracts from Friday and has set the deadline for completion of the same before 28th February, 2023, adding that the jurisdiction of CD block will be the guiding Principle during the course of this distribution.
The existing Dak Bunglows, Inspection huts, Rest Houses of R&B Department would be used, wherever possible, for housing of newly created offices to save public money in construction and hiring of accommodation for new offices for time being, while the process for identification and acquisition of suitable piece of land, where there is no suitable office or space available for newly designated jurisdiction, has to be started within a month from now.
The Restructuring
In a detailed order, the government has re-designated the post of Development Commissioner Works (Ex- officio Secretary Tech. R&B Department) as Engineer-in-Chief, also the Secretary, Technical, R&B Department, while the Mechanical Engineering Department Jammu, and Kashmir has been renamed as Mechanical and Hospital Directorate Jammu, and Kashmir, respectively.
The government has abolished three posts of Chief Engineers—at SKUAST- Kashmir, SKUAST-Jammu, and SKIMS Soura– from the concerned subsumed and merged engineering wings of departments and have converted these from deputation post to duty post.
While the post of Chief Engineer, DIQC will now be filled from Civil Wing of PW(R&B) instead of Hydraulic Wing, the post of Chief Engineer Mechanical Wing and Chief Engineer Mughal Road Project has also been transferred to Civil Wing.
From now on, Mechanical Engineers will be posted in Civil Wing of R&B, except in Jammu zone, for the purpose of snow clearance and other works. As per the new arrangement, each Chief Engineer (Civil) R&B (Zonal Office) will have one Executive Engineer Mechanical, each Superintending Engineer (Civil) R&B (Circle Office) will have one AEE (Mechanical), each Executive Engineer (Civil) R&B (Division Office) will have one AE (Mechanical) in their offices and each Assistant Executive Engineer (Civil,) R&B (Sub Division Office) will have one JE (Mechanical) in their offices.
The government also ordered conversion of eight deputation posts of Superintending Engineers (Civil) to duty posts, by abolishing these posts from the concerned subsumed department(s) for their adjustment in new territorial jurisdictions which have been identified for these Superintending Engineers (Civil), while a number of deputation posts including one of Superintending Engineer (Mech), five of Executive Engineer (Mech), 4 each of Assistant Executive Engineer (Mech) and Assistant Engineer (Mech), and 14 of Junior Engineer (Mech) (14) have been converted into duty posts. The government also ordered conversion of 36 deputation posts of Executive Engineers (Civil), 56 of Assistant Executive Engineers, 19 of Assistant Engineers, 82 of Junior Engineer and 48 posts of Draftsman (Civil) into duty posts.
The new cadre strength will be formulated as per revised structure for inclusion in respective Schedule-II of Gazetted/ Non-Gazetted Engineering Recruitment Rules by Issuance of corresponding notifications, thereby revising SRO-661 (Gazetted) and SRO-654 (Non-Gazetted) dated 25.10.2019 respectively, while there would be no change in Recruitment Rules (Gazetted & Non- Gazetted) except Schedule-II of existing Recruitment Rules of engineering wings of departments including R&B Department.
The posts merged from other departments into the PW(R&B) Department and officials who were appointed through the merged department, their service rules will remain the same through which they have been appointed initially and they shall be promoted/superannuated as per their recruitment rules and seniority of such employees shall be maintained separately by the PW (R&B) Department, the order said.
“All civil works of other departments (merged vide Government Order No.752-JK(GAD) of 2020 dated 10.08.2020) shall be executed by the newly created Divisions/ Sub Divisions as per their jurisdiction co-terminus with CD Blocks of RDD,” it said, adding, “All Works/ contracts under execution by a particular Division of PWD shall also be transferred to newly created Division/ Sub Division as per the jurisdiction.”
Existing contracts of other departments (merged vide Government Order No.752-JK(GAD) of 2020 dated 10.08.2020) shall be transferred to the new territorial Divisions/ Sub Divisions, it said. However resources shall be provided by the concerned department being project authority for completion of such projects, it said.
The government has initiated the exercise of distribution of Assets (Roads, Bridges and Buildings), liability, and contracts from Friday and has set the deadline for completion of the same before 28th February, 2023, adding that the jurisdiction of CD block will be the guiding Principle during the course of this distribution.
“The process of hand over/takeover of assets along with furniture and fixtures and engineering staff of other merged departments shall be completed by 1st February 2023. In case these assets are not found suitable, such assets shall be handed over back to the respective department with a certificate by the concerned Chief Engineer PW(R&B) that such property is not suitable due to dilapidated condition or remote location,” it said.
All existing offices/ Furniture and fixtures/ space of Engineers presently under use in other departments (merged vide Government Order No.752-JK(GAD) of 2020 dated 10.08.2020) shall be deemed to have been transferred to the PW(R&B) Department, so that public money is saved from new construction for housing new offices to the extent possible, it said.
“Existing Dak Bunglows, Inspection huts, Rest Houses of R&B Department shall be used to the extent possible for housing of newly created offices to save public money in construction/ hiring of accommodation for new offices for time being.”
The government further order that wherever there is no suitable office or space available at the newly designated jurisdiction, the process for identification and acquisition of suitable piece of land, free from all encumbrances is to be started within a month of issuance of this order. “In case suitable Government assets or buildings are not available, the concerned officer shall identify suitable Government or private land free from all encumbrances for such purposes.”
To include newly created divisions, the government said, necessary amendment shall be made on JKPWDOMS by 28th February, 2023 to include newly created divisions.
“PWD shall accordingly revise its budget proposal for salary/ revenue expenditure within 02 days of issuance of this order and forward the same to the Finance Department so that requisite budgetary provisions for FY 2023-24 are provisioned accordingly.”
The offices of Executive Engineers of merged departments have been asked to furnish details of their offices/ assets/ contracts to the PW(R&B) Department within three days.
“The location of offices of Executive Engineers/ Assistant Executive Engineers shall be located physically in their newly created jurisdictions (details in Annexure(s)) and will not be changed/modified without the approval of the Administrative Council.”
It also ordered creation of 782 posts in different categories by corresponding reduction of existing 1182 posts of different categories in the PW(R8B) Department.
All necessary preparations regarding establishment of offices, divisions of roads/assets and projects/contracts shall be completed by 28th February 2023, it said.
“The order shall come into force with immediate effect but shall be operational w.e.f 01.04.2023,” it added.
