Public Concern in Action
A time was there when PW (R&B) Department had its own identity, in the qualitative execution of various engineering works including Roads and Buildings. It was also known for execution of all works in a well defined procedure for allotments of contracts, taking up execution departmentally to main transparency. It was a great honour for engineers to render their services to this department. It carried such identity for more than two decades and gradually lost its work culture, with the passage of time for some obvious reasons (especially growing corruption amongst the engineers and a criminal connivance with the contractor's community). Unfortunately, the department, which used to be on top of all other engineering departments, is searching for its lost identity, which seems out of its reach. The contractors engaged in this department are dictating terms to the engineers, getting their allotments done at gun point, execute the allotted works at their own sweet will, having no respect whatsoever for engineers of any rank. The engineers, who used to command the contractor, have lost the conviction to direct the contractor for fulfilling his commitments as per agreement. Apart from that, the Chief Engineer of this department has been vested with powers, under Ribbon Development Act Samvat 2007 (1950 A.D.) to evict any illegal encroachments along road sides (from the acquired land), but huge encroachment have been made by miscreants all along the roads maintained by this department and the authorities at the helm of affairs are not too serious about this issue. The Inaction of the PWD Authorities in this regard can only be attributed to shear negligence of the authorities to perform their mandatory duty or Lack of Conviction due to corrupt mindset of the executive staff. A matter of this sort (Eviction of Illegal Encroachments from Dayala Chack- Hiranagar road) was brought into the notice of Chief Engineer, PW (R&B) Department with a copy each to DC Kathua and Executive Engineer concerned but the complete silence of the Departmental authorities is enough to tell the truth of work culture of the whole department. The department needs to act as per prescribed guidelines and use its powers in the best interests of public at large, so as to retain its pride. The sooner they do, better it is.
Shiv Shanker Sharma (Kathua)
