Lucknow, 24

Oct (HS): Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, has ordered a

significant revamp of the Public Works Department, including a complete

redesign of the engineers' service structure and a fivefold rise in the financial

authority of PWD officers. According to an official statement released on

Friday, the action is the first of its kind in thirty years and is intended to

give officers more authority, lessen reliance on higher-level approvals, and

speed up procedures like contracting, project execution, and tendering. According

to the Cost Inflation Index, construction expenses have increased more than 5.5

times since 1995, when financial powers were last amended, according to a PWD

review meeting. According to the statement, Adityanath stated that the change

was necessary to maintain financial discipline, guarantee timely project

execution, and increase administrative efficiency.

Following

thorough deliberations, it was determined that the cost restrictions for

mechanical and electrical work would be raised at least twice and for civil

work up to five times. The chief minister emphasized that reform will improve

departmental operations' accountability and openness.

Because of

the new system, the chief engineer can now approve projects up to Rs 10 crore

instead of Rs 2 crore, the superintending engineer can now approve projects up

to Rs 5 crore instead of Rs 1 crore, and the executive engineer can now approve

projects up to Rs 2 crore instead of Rs 40 lakh. Additionally, assistant engineers will have

limited authority to approve minor projects and tenders.

According to

the chief minister, this change will guarantee increased administrative

efficiency, accountability, and openness while also accelerating projects and

decreasing approval delays.

According to

the statement, the meeting also approved significant changes to the Uttar

Pradesh Engineer Service (PWD) (Higher) Rules, 1990, which reorganized the

mechanical and electrical cadres. While the number of Chief Engineer (Level-2)

and Superintending Engineer roles has increased, a new Chief Engineer (Level-1)

position has been created. It further

stated that the cadre structure is now more transparent and well-organized

thanks to the updated regulations, which clearly outline the promotion

procedure, pay ranges, and service requirements.

Seniority

from Level-2 will now determine promotions to Chief Engineer (Level-1), and new

protocols have been established for promotions to Level-2 and Superintending

Engineer. To achieve equity and

merit-based advancement, the selection committee's makeup has been amended in

accordance with the Seventh Pay Commission, and updated pay matrices have been

introduced from Executive Engineer to Chief Engineer (Level 1).

In order to

improve efficiency, technical quality, and the department's service spirit, CM

Adityanath emphasized the importance of the PWD in state development and the

need for prompt, transparent service regulations and a merit-driven promotion

system, according to the statement.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi