The Gazetteers Department

THE BUILDINGS AND COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL IS UNDER THE DUAL CONTROL OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT AND THE ZILLA PARISHAD, RESPECTIVELY. The sphere of activities has been divided into two sectors. The works regarding the major district roads and the roads of the lower order, buildings required by the Animal Husbandry department and other departments at the tahsil level, constructional activities under the block development schemes and works relating to tanks that irrigate less than 80.93 hectares (200 acres) of land are the responsibility of the Zilla Parishad while the works relating to National highways, State highways and the buildings required for the administrative departments in the State sector, such as Judicial department, Police department etc., are entrusted to the department in the State sector.

Buildings required for research and agricultural college by the Department of Agriculture are also the responsibility of the department in the State sector. There are two separate branches, viz., the Roads and Buildings and the Electrical under the Buildings and Communications department in Wardha district.

The Chief Engineer who is also the Joint Secretary to the Government is the head of the department at the State level. Under the Chief Engineer are the Superintending Engineers of Buildings and Communications circles and Electrical Engineer to the Government. Each circle, comprising five or more divisions, is controlled by a Superintending Engineer. The divisions are in charge of Executive Engineers and sub-divisions in charge of Assistant Engineers or Deputy Engineers. The sub-divisions are further divided into sections each in charge of an Overseer. There are four sub-divisions under the Buildings and Communications department in Wardha district.

The Superintending Engineer is responsible for administration and general professional control over public works in charge of the department. He has to inspect the state of various works within his circle and to satisfy himself that the system of management prevailing is efficient and economical. He is required to ascertain efficiency of subordinate officers and petty establishments and to report whether the staff employed in each division is actually necessary or adequate for the management of the works entrusted with the department. The Superintending Engineer is empowered to transfer and post Deputy Engineers and Overseers within his circle in the interest of administration. However, Executive Engineers of divisions are consulted before posting these officers to particular sub-divisional charges under their control. It is also the duty of the Superintending Engineer to recommend removals or transfers of Executive Engineers from his own circle.

The Executive Engineer is responsible for the execution and management of all the works under his jurisdiction in the State sector. He has also to work as the ex-officio professional adviser to all the departments of the Government within his jurisdiction.

In the district sector he is in over all charge of all the works of the Zilla Parishad and he is the head of the works department of the Zilla Parishad. In this behalf he is subordinate to the Chief Executive Officer of the Zilla Parishad. But in technical matters his advice prevails. He also acts as the secretary of the works committee of the Zilla Parishad.

Wardha Buildings and Communications Division is a temporary division in the State sector in-charge of the Executive Engineer, Wardha, under the Nagpur Buildings and Communications Circle, Nagpur. There are four sub-divisions as under: (1) Wardha Buildings and Communications sub-division, Wardha: (2) Construction Sub-Division, Wardha; (3) Hinganghat Buildings and Communications Sub-Division, Hinganghat and (4) Arvi Buildings and Communications Sub-Division, Arvi. The main functions of the Division are —

(1) to maintain about 202 miles of State highway, (2) to carry improvement of these roads and construction of about 7 major bridges taken up in the Third Five-Year Plan as also construction of about 4 miles of National highway and maintenance of about 62 miles of National highway, and (3) to execute the construction of roads and C. D. works under the Wardha Plan.

Electrical Circle.

Electrical circle, in-charge of Electrical Engineer to Government, Buildings and Communications Department, has jurisdiction over the State of Maharashtra. The functions of the Electrical circle are as follows:

(i) Execution and maintenance of electrical installation works in Government buildings.

(ii) Carrying out advisory, administrative and executive duties pertaining to the generation and use of electricity and administration of the Indian Electricity Act, 1910, the Indian Electricity Rules, 1956, the Bombay Electricity Duty Act, 1963, and the Bombay Lifts Act, 1939.

The Electrical circle has been bifurcated into two wings viz., Executive wing and Inspection wing at the divisional level. For executive work of this circle, there are five Electrical Executive Divisions each in-charge of the Executive Engineer, with headquarters at Bombay, Thana, Pune, Aurangabad and Nagpur. Each division has sub-divisions under it in-charge of Deputy Engineers.

As far as execution and maintenance of electrical installations are concerned, the Wardha district is under the jurisdiction of Deputy Engineer, Nagpur Electrical Sub-Division No.II, Nagpur, and the sub-division is under the control of the Executive Engineer, Nagpur Electrical Division, Nagpur.

Under the Inspection wing there are three Electrical Inspection Divisions each in charge of the Electrical Inspector with headquarters at Bombay, Pune and Nagpur. Each inspection division has three sub-divisions in-charge of the Assistant Electrical Inspectors. The Wardha district falls under the jurisdiction of the Assistant Electrical Inspector, Wardha and under the Electrical Inspector, Nagpur, for the purpose of Inspection wing. For the work of inspections under the Indian Electricity Act, 1910 this district falls under the jurisdiction of the Electrical Inspector, Nagpur.

The Assistant Electrical Inspector, Wardha carries out the inspection of the works of the electrical supply companies and Maharashtra State Electricity Board and also attends to the inspections of the M. P. and H. T. installations of the consumers as per the Indian Electricity Rules, 1956. The work of supervising the levy and assessment of the electricity duty under the provisions of the Bombay Electricity Duty Act, 1963, is also done by the Electrical Inspector, Nagpur for the Wardha district.

Local Sector.

The Buildings and Communications department under the control of the Zilla Parishad is known as the works department. Like other departments the works department is directly under the administrative control of the Chief Executive Officer. The Executive Engineer is the head of the department and is solely responsible for execution of works pertaining to buildings, roads and irrigation works under the Parishad. The execution of these works is vested mainly in the Deputy Engineers in charge of the sub-divisions which is controlled by the Executive Engineer. The concerned Block Development Officer is responsible for the work of the Panchayat Samiti. So far as the technical matters are concerned the Block Development Officers are under the administrative control of the Executive Engineer and in respect of all other matters they are directly responsible to the Chief Executive Officer of the Zilla Parishad. The works department has undertaken many constructional activities in this district. The department has undertaken 22 roads for construction and repairing transferred from Buildings and Communications Department. They are Allipur-Kapsi, Thanegaon-Hetikundi, Pimpalkhuta-Rohna-Augji-Virul, Seloo-Zadsi, Girad-Kova, Hingana-Hingani, Jalalkheda-Karanja, Ashti-Morshi, Seloo-Hingani, Wadhona-Karanjam, Nachangaon-Shirpur, Samudrapur-Girad, Girad-Umred, Hinganghat-Nandori, Sevagram-Samudrapur, Jaurwada-Bangdapur, Waigaon-Kapsi, Sindhi-Kandali, Washi-Kora, Sarwadi-Seloo, Deoli-Andori and Sirasgaon-Wadner. The total length of these roads is about 190 miles, out of which the length of 40 miles was completed prior to transfer to this Zilla Parishad. The length of sixty miles of these roads has been completed by the Zilla Parishad and the work like collection of material and consolidation is in progress on the remaining length. Besides this, a length of 23 miles has been completed in respect of village roads undertaken by the Panchayat Samitis under the scheme T and C and R. W. P. A building construction project for the construction of the building for agricultural school at Selsura has been undertaken at an estimated cost of Rs. 5 lakhs and is nearing completion. The construction work of P. H. C. buildings at Bhidi and Rohana is progressing. Besides this, the constructional activities of the Panchayat Samitis are supervised by this department.

The piped water supply schemes for individual villages are being prepared and implemented through this department. The preparation of the 12 schemes was undertaken out of which the plans and estimates for Pohana, Poti, Mahakal, Karanjana Gode, Nachangaon Karanja, Dahegaon Dhande, Ashti pipe water schemes have been prepared and for remaining villages schemes are under preparation. Out of the minor irrigation schemes undertaken by the department, the bandharas at Pardi with irrigation potential of 20 acres and Gowandi Dhonga with irrigation potential of 60 acres have been completed and the works of 4 lift irrigation schemes i.e., Ladegaon, Dahegaon Dhande, Kharda and Rohini are progressing. These are having irrigation potential of 200 to 300 acres each. The five temporary lift irrigation schemes with 20 H. P. oil engines have also been undertaken with irrigation potential of 20 to 30 acres each and are nearing completion.

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