About Pwd
The Public Works Department execute the construction, improvement, strengthening and maintenance of roads and bridges. The responsibility of construction of certain buildings of the state government and their maintenance is also upon this department. The department undertakes the maintenance of National Highways passing through Uttar Pradesh which are not covered by the National Highways Authority for which funds are provided by the Government of India. The task of monitoring the works under different schemes and ensuring high quality of work has been assigned to 12 zonal Chief Engineers.
The state, geographically and in terms of population, is the country’s largest state. For the States industrial, economic and social development it is essential to connect each village and its population with the main roads. Besides, the widening and high-quality repair of important National Highways, state roads and district roads is also important for transportation. The P.W.D. is executing the work of construction and improvement of link roads in rural areas, widening and improvement of other district roads, main district roads and state roads, construction of bridges in rural areas and repair of narrow and damaged bridges on main routes on a priority basis. In addition, it is also doing the work of construction of link roads in rural areas under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana and strengthening of previously-built rural and other roads.
For successful operation of various schemes by PWD, offices of Superintending Engineers in different districts and Chief Engineers in Commissionaires are established. They execute effective monitoring on the works by removing the hurdles in planning, execution, quality control etc. For this the following posts of zonal chief Engineers and incharge chief engineers have been created
From the year 1773 to 1858 in the three existing Presidencies in ‘British India there were separate Military Councils for the construction of government works. For the first time on an experimental basis in 1849, a Public Works Department (PWD) away from the idea of Military Council was set up in newly created Punjab province.
In 1850, a commission under the ‘Court of Directors’ recommended that under local government the execution of civil and military public affairs works should be executed under Local Government within their boundaries. With the above recommendations, Bengal and after wards Bombay and Madras Presidencies starts using the above system with appropriate improvements.