By Chandan Singh | Page 3 News Worldwide | New Delhi 

New Delhi, September 9, 2026: In a major boost to Delhi’s development and infrastructure administration, the Centre has approved the separation of 3,214 sanctioned engineering posts in the Delhi Public Works Department (PWD) from the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) cadre, paving the way for an independent Delhi PWD Engineering Cadre.

Welcoming the decision, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta described the move as a “historic step” towards transforming Delhi into a developed, safe and world-class capital. She said the separate cadre would enable the Delhi government to accelerate construction works, strengthen its engineering system and ensure greater transparency and accountability.

30-Year-Old Issue Finally Resolved

CM Rekha Gupta said the issue had remained pending for nearly 30 years. Until now, Delhi PWD’s engineering services were largely dependent on the CPWD cadre, with its 3,214 sanctioned posts across 36 categories being governed through the Central Government’s system.

According to the Chief Minister, the arrangement sometimes made it difficult to take decisions swiftly in accordance with Delhi’s specific development requirements.

With the capital continuously requiring new roads, bridges, government buildings, offices and other public infrastructure, she said an independent and capable engineering system was essential.

Greater Self-Reliance for Delhi

The new cadre is expected to give the Delhi government greater control over its engineering workforce, including the availability of engineers, filling of vacancies, monitoring of projects and execution of development works.

CM Rekha Gupta said Delhi is set to undertake several major infrastructure projects, including a new Secretariat and mini-secretariats across all 11 districts, besides strengthening mandis, sports grounds, roads, bridges and other public facilities.

She said a dedicated engineering workforce would allow officials to better understand Delhi’s local requirements and development challenges.

Focus on Accountability and Transparency

The Chief Minister stressed that the reform goes beyond an administrative restructuring of engineering posts. It is also aimed at improving accountability, transparency and the speed of project execution.

She said that under the earlier arrangement, cases involving serious deficiencies or irregularities in construction projects could sometimes face difficulties in fixing responsibility when the transfer of an officer affected the monitoring process.

With an independent Delhi PWD Engineering Cadre, the government will be able to align the responsibilities of engineering officials and project monitoring more closely with Delhi’s own administrative system.

CM Rekha Gupta said the Centre’s approval has now cleared the way for a long-pending reform that can help Delhi build a stronger, more responsive and accountable engineering system for its future infrastructure needs.