Several infra projects affected due to frequent transfers of PWD secretaries, Delhi govt targets LG

New Delhi: The Delhi government alleged on Saturday that the work on several of its infrastructure projects, including some related to G20 summit preparations, were affected due to "frequent" transfers of officers heading its public works department (PWD).

In a statement, the Arvind Kejriwal government claimed that since September 2020, PWD had five different secretaries.

"The Delhi government has been working tirelessly to develop the infrastructure of Delhi but frequent change of PWD secretaries by the LG has obstructed our progress. It is a deliberate attempt to abuse the powers of his office and derail the vision of CM Arvind Kejriwal to transform Delhi into a world-class city," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who holds the PWD portfolio, alleged.

Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena and the Arvind Kejriwal government have been at loggerheads over various issues.

Sisodia alleged that the lieutenant governor shuffled PWD secretary every six months to leave the department "headless" and stall infrastructure works of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.

Such "brazen" attempt by the lieutenant governor to "abuse" his hold on the Services department have "stalled" key infrastructure projects such as Ashram flyover and redevelopment of major roads, he charged.

"These frequent changes have impacted several important infrastructure projects of the national capital, many of which were being planned in view of the forthcoming G20 Summit," Sisodia charged.

As head of the department, the PWD secretary presides over a team of over 3,000 engineers and officials, provides administrative and financial approvals, and plays a critical role in coordinating the execution of infrastructure projects, according to the statement.

Records of the Services department show that five IAS officers have held the post of PWD Secretary since September 2020 -- Vikas Anand from September 2020 to March 2021, Dilraj Kaur from March 2021 to March 2022, Nikhil Kumar from March 2022 to April 2022, H Rajesh Prashad from May 2022 to September 2022 and Vikas Anand from November 2022 to February 2023 -- it said.