Three years’ extension to PWD sub-division attachment to DIG Gadchiroli Range office
   Date :21-Sep-2023

PWD 
 
 
 
By Kartik Lokhande
After a gap of one year since expiry of the previous extension, Public Works Department (PWD) has granted another three year extension to attachment of its World Bank Project sub-division to the office of Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Gadchiroli Range. In an effort to boost the development in Naxal-affected Gadchiroli Range covering Gadchiroli and Gondia districts, the World Bank Project Sub-Division No 2 under the Chief Engineer of PWD at Nagpur, was attached to the office of DIG Gadchiroli Range in 2010. The said sub-division was attached to the DIG office for a period of five years initially. The attachment was granted extension of three years on June 27, 2016. But, it was granted after over six months since the lapse of the initial period of five years.
 
Later, one more extension of three years was granted on August 22, 2019 as per the request of the Home Department. However, this extension came to an end on August 21, 2022. Since then, no steps were taken to grant further extension. According to officials familiar with the matter, such an extension could not be granted due to COVID-19 pandemic’s after-effects on development works. In Gadchiroli district, several works including construction of 14 police stations/sub-police stations in Naxal-affected ‘hypersensitive’ and ‘sensitive’ areas as well as of administrative buildings got affected. For, these works were to be executed by PWD’s World Bank Project Sub-Division No 2. The works were to be done under Special Infrastructure Scheme. As this was pointed out by DIG Gadchiroli Range on April 24, 2023 through a letter, the Additional Director General of Police (Special Action) sent a letter in this regard on May 8, 2023 to the PWD.
 
Accordingly, now, PWD has taken the decision to grant further extension of three years to the attachment of World Bank Project Sub-Division No 2 to the office of the DIG Gadchiroli Range. The extension has been approved with retrospective effect from August 22, 2022 to August 21, 2025. During this period, the abovesaid works are expected to be completed to strengthen the security-related infrastructure in the Naxal-hit district.