The Communication and Works Department is a department of the Government of Punjab, Pakistan. It is responsible for the planning, execution, maintenance, and repair of infrastructure projects in the province, including bridges, public buildings, and roads.[1][2]
History
In 1849, a military board was established in the subcontinent to oversee public works in the region. By 1854, all public engineering works had been consolidated under a single department, and Public Works Departments were established in all provinces, falling under one central authority. To address the growing demand for public works, three branches were created in 1866: military works, civil works, and railways. In 1869, administrative changes were implemented, leading to the establishment of a separate Buildings and Roads (B&R) branch. This branch further expanded in 1914 with the creation of the position of a consulting architect. Upon Pakistan's independence in 1947, the B&R branch was placed under the control of a single chief engineer and secretary to government, tasked with managing all matters pertaining to communications, buildings, sanitation, water works, and the electrification of government buildings. In May 1962, this system underwent a transformation, resulting in the formation of the C&W Department of the Government of West Pakistan. The B&R and town planning departments were placed under its administrative control.[3][4]
Structure
The department is divided into various sub-departments, including buildings, highways, special initiatives, monitoring and evaluation, research and design, planning and design, architecture, and the Punjab Ring Road Authority.[1]
Highways Department
The Punjab Highways Department is responsible for the construction, maintenance, and repair of provincial roads and bridges. It is divided into three zones: North, South, and Central. Each zone is headed by a Chief Engineer, who is a grade-20 officer from the engineering branch of the department.[1]
Buildings Department
The Punjab Buildings Department is responsible for the execution, maintenance, and repair of public buildings in the province. Same as Punjab Highways Department, it is also divided into three zones: North, South, and Central. Each zone is headed by a Chief Engineer, who is a grade-20 officer from the engineering branch of the department.[1]
Research and Design Department
R&D Department is also headed by a chief engineer and it is sub-divided mainly into three branches: Road Research & Material Testing Institute (RR&MTI), Building Research Station, and Road Asset Management System.[1] RR&MTI is responsible for providing technical support to the department such as design of pavement, analysis and testing of road construction materials, evaluation of existing roads, and provide solution to various problems faced field formations.[5] Building Research Station has been established to provide technical support to field formations regarding testing of building materials and carrying out soil analysis for design of foundations of public buildings.[3] Road Asset Management System is responsible for management and maintenance of road infrastructure assets in the province.[6]
Planning and Design Department
This department is also headed by a chief engineer. The department is divided into three branches: buildings design, highways design, and bridge directorate. Buildings and highways design branches are responsible for planning, and structural analysis and design of public sector buildings and pavements respectively. Bridge directorate is responsible for structural analysis and design of new bridges in the province.[1]
Monitoring and Evaluation Department
This department was established in 2021 in place of Punjab Buildings Department (Maintenance and Repair) when restructuring of the C&W Department was done.[7] It's also headed by a chief engineer.[1] This department is responsible for technical inspection of the development projects and provides assistance to the government of the Punjab.[8]
Special Initiatives Department
This was the second department, along with M&E Department, which was established in 2021 during restructuring. It was established in place of Punjab Highways Department (Maintenance and Repair).[7][8] It's also headed by a chief engineer.[1] The department is responsible for providing modern engineering solutions for the public sector. Its function is to plan, design, build, and maintain infrastructure projects in the province using the best international practices to meet future development needs. It is also responsible for looking after the projects' execution which are being constructed in Public Private Partnership mode.[1][8]
Architecture Department
This department is responsible to oversee the design of architectural drawings and elevations of the public buildings. It provides architectural services to provincial departments.[9] It is headed by chief architect who is a grade-20 officer.[1]
Punjab Ring Road Authority
This department is responsible to plan, design, develop, manage, and provincial ring roads. It is headed by chairperson.[1]
List of secretaries
Secretary, usually a civil servant from Provincial Management Service (PMS) Punjab or Pakistan Administrative Service, is administrative head of the department. List of secretaries is as follows:[10]
