Centre begins CPWD overhaul after 14 years

New Delhi: As India's administrative capital gets a makeover with new buildings coming up, the Centre is undertaking an extensive exercise to overhaul the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), its prime construction agency.

After about 14 years, the Centre has initiated a restructuring and cadre review exercise to infuse more talent in CPWD. With new buildings like Kartavya Bhawans and the Prime Minister's residential complex coming up, there is a need for more engineers with different expertise to be brought into the government. CPWD has expanded its activities within Delhi and across states. The official statistics show that CPWD is now initiating construction worth Rs 25,000 crore every year. However, it does not have enough engineers to undertake its expanding role.

A senior official, who did not wish to be identified, told ET, “The scope of CPWD activities has increased and changed with the new construction activities in states and in the capital. It is no longer simply construction but also design and structural stability.”


There are about 18,000 employees in CPWD under three major verticals – civil (which includes electrical and mechanical streams), architecture and horticulture. About two-thirds of the employees are in the civil vertical. “There is a need for architectural and design engineers as well. For instance, there is an emphasis on designing structurally sound, seismically proof energy-efficient buildings. We need more such design engineers. All these aspects are being gauged in the cadre review,” said the official.

The new construction activity in the capital has also brought out the biggest gap in CPWD – a shortage of engineers in lower to mid-level. “There are not enough executive and superintending engineers in the organisation. They are required in supervisory roles. Also the maintenance activity will increase now. Though contracts are given out for this, these need to be reviewed and supervised. It is in many cases a technical role,” a source said.

A cadre review should generally be undertaken every five years. However, the last cadre review in CPWD took place in 2012. After this, there was a restructuring exercise in 2019 when a consultancy firm was hired to gauge the gaps. According to sources, this restructuring exercise did not help CPWD with several gaps recurring. “The cadre review is proving to be an extensive exercise. We are even addressing gaps that restructuring left out,” said the official.