Do away with separate water organisation: Tamil Nadu PWD Engineers Association

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu PWD Senior Engineers Association (TANSEA) opposed the constitution of the Water Resources Organisation (WRO) by the Public Works Department (PWD) and said that its formation would neither facilitate nor improve functioning since the organisation was already functioning separately from 1995 under separate HODs.

Protesting the “ill-motivated move” the association said that it has been opposing, since 1995, the move of government, under pressure from the World Bank, to form a separate WR Department under the guise of specialisation and improved efficiency on hypothetical assumptions.

In a letter to Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, TANSEA said in that states like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, the Buildings Department is combined with the Highways & Bridges Department whereas in Tamil Nadu PWD the Irrigation Branch is combined with the Buildings Branch which is 159 years old.

“We know that due to our 50 years working experience in TN PWD the move will divide engineers in PWD between buildings and water resources, causing enormous difference in their careers and promotional prospects; these are already under severe strain. This move will compel the serving 3,000 engineers to seek a legal remedy for their status and career promotions, and this will be a never ending process affecting its present efficiency,” said A. Veerappan, state secretary, TANSEA, in the letter.

The “bad policy” will endanger the existing cooperation and coordination between the two wings, causing further delay in the execution of projects. “Even after the formation of a separate Water Resources Department in Tamil Nadu, our water bodies are to be controlled by the combined control of the PWD, revenue, rural development, forest, fisheries, mining & minerals and local Panchayat Raj. The TN government may work a way to ease the existing open ended situation for better functioning,” the letter said and urged the government to drop the move immediately in the interests of the state.