Public Works Department (PWD)

HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE -5

PUBLIC WORKS
DEPARTMENT(PWD)
HISTORY

Established in 1854 by the Governor General Lord Dalhousie, the PWD was
responsible for communication systems such as roads, canals and the telegraph,
and for all public buildings. This last category was immensely broad: it included
churches, town halls, high courts, museums and other such grand public
institutions in the cities; but it also included every civilian and military officer's
bungalow, every small district court house, police station and school room,
every chapel and collector's office, in every town and district throughout the
length and breadth of British India. The sheer quantity of work was thus
enormous: the remit of the PWD covered nothing less than the entire
infrastructure of a growing empire.
HISTORY

➢ The East India Company, which started as a trading concern in India had a general Civil Service for attending to
multifarious duties of administration, which vested in convented services. A result of Industrial Revolution in Europe
in 18th century, which affected the general conditions throughout the world, the working of East India Company
underwent a close scrutiny and criticism. The need for construction of roads, railways and irrigation works etc. come
to the forefront
➢ While the works of construction of railways were given to different companies, the public works like roads, buildings
and irrigation were entrusted to the charge of Military Boards in all the three Presidencies of Calcutta, Madras and
Bombay. These works were mostly of a military character comprising of barracks and other buildings for troops and a
few military roads. This arrangement continued from year 1773 to 1858.
➢ In the year 1849, when the Punjab was also annexed by the British, a Department for public works was created. It was
immediately entrusted with the improvement of Grand Trunk Road to Peshawar including construction of about 100
bridges on it and the construction of the upper Doab Canal. The roads from Kalka to Shimla and Chini to Sutlej and
the work of Upper Ganga Canal were also completed by the year 1854.
HISTORY
➢ With the success of the Public Works Department in Punjab, as distinct from the Military Boards, similar departments
were set up in Bengal, Madras and Bombay in 1854. Each were placed under the charge of a Chief Engineer under the
Lt. Governor of the Province. To co-ordinate and have budgetary control over the Provincial P W Ds, a Secretary of
the Department of Public Works was appointed in the Government of India for the first time in year 1854.
➢ During the years 1863-66, the Department of Public Works in Government of India was split in three separate
branches to deal with Miltary works, Civil and Irrigation and Railways works. These branches were placed under the
charge of an Under Secretary each in the Government of India in year 1867 and had an Inspector General of Works
attached to each of them to co-ordinate the functions of each wing throughout the country.
➢ The Central Public Works Department of INDIA commonly referred to as the CPWD, came into existence in July
1854 when Lord Dalhousie established a central agency for execution of public works and set up Ajmer Provincial
Division.
➢ It is headed by the Director General (DG) who is also the Principal Technical Advisor to the Government of India.
PWD- Buildings
PWD provided the Standard Plans, predetermined designs for each of the various types of building, many of
which had a basic common denominator. The Standard Plans offered multi-purpose bungalows, and the design
process was reduced to the minimal modification required to fit the building to the place and need.
Architecture according to PWD standard plan PWD classical mode: Bungalow in Agra
PWD- Buildings
• At the more prestigious end of the architectural spectrum

in the cities, the Standard Plans did not apply and a greater
pluralism gradually developed.
• Before the mid-nineteenth century, British buildings were
almost uniformly in Western classical styles. They were
designed mostly by military engineers, using pattern books
and published plans by leading British architects.
• A prominent early example is Government House in
Calcutta, built between 1799 and 1803, to a design
prepared by Lieutenant Charles Wyatt.
• Stuccoed brick, with the plaster originally painted yellow.
GOVERNMENT HOUSE CALCUTTA:1799-1803
The main front with its elegant classical portico is

In 1814 the rear portico was crowned with a dome, to add to its
approached by a grand set of stone steps. The central
effect. The result not only set the tone for colonial Calcutta — a
part then curves forward into sturdy three-storey
"city of palaces" — but was the first of the grand colonial palaces
pavilions at each end. Two further matching pavilions
of the Raj.
curve out behind from the same central block.
By the time the PWD was founded, the hegemony of classicism was already being challenged
by the Gothic.
FEW EARLY EAXAMPLES ARE:-
o St Paul's Cathedral in Calcutta, designed by Major W. N. Forbes in 1839.

o University Convocation Hall and Library (1869-78) by George Gilbert Scott.
o Victoria Terminus (1878-87) by F. W. Stevens.
o A late addition was the world-renowned Taj Mahal Hotel by W. Chambers.
Western classical and Gothic, both styles were self-consciously foreign in an Indian context, and presented
to British eyes images of 'ourselves'. A third possible approach was considered more assimilationist: the
adoption of Indian historical styles, or of a form of architecture more or less closely derived from them,
might be seen to impart an Indian character to British rule. This approach was dubbed as 'Indo-Saracenic’.
Madras Law court, J. W. Brassington & Henry Irwin Senate house in 1870s, R.F.Chisholm
Mayo College in Ajmer in 1875 Charles Mant Muir College in Allahabad in 1870 William Emerson.
PWD- Canals
In 1866, P.W.D. was divided into three branches namely, Civil (Roads, Building & Irrigation), Military and Railway.
This very year the then Governor General, Lord Lawrence (1864-68) introduced the system of investing in public
works by borrowing from the public. The New policy saw implementation of some important projects like
• Midnapore Canal (1872),
• Orissa Coast Canal (1882),
• Rajpur Drainage Canal (1882) etc.
PWD- Railways
• With the complete separation of the Military branch in 1895, the P.W.D. became an exclusive civil
department. The P.W.D. became responsible for public works relating to roads, buildings, irrigations and
railways from this time.
• In 1905, the railways branch was segregated from the P.W.D. and was converted into a separate
department under the management and control of Railway Board.
The first railway line in India was commissioned in 1853 from
Bombay to Thane and train services were introduced.
Till 1905 about 3600 miles of railway track was constructed
by the P.W.D
PWD- Roads
Surface Roads of pre-independence period were maintained by Works and Building Directorate, which subsequently
nomenclature as P.W. Directorate under the administrative set up of P.W. Department.
Road construction under plan program was taken up in the year 1952 and for this purpose Road Development Directorate
was created under the administrative set up of Development & Planning Department.
Subsequently with increased volume of road construction, Roads Development Directorate was separated from
administrative set up of Development & Planning Department and renamed as P. W. (Roads) Directorate under
administrative set up of P. W. (Roads) Department.
Coal Road Construction Circle was one of the important circles within
Special Road Organization Wing for looking after National Highway No. 2
well known as Grand Trunk Road.
Thank you
SUBMITTED BY:
DEVANSH GUPTA
B. ARCH, 3RD YEAR
18040111

Public Works Department (PWD)

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Public Works Department (PWD)

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Public Works Department (PWD)

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE -5

• At the more prestigious end of the architectural spectrum

The main front with its elegant classical portico is

FEW EARLY EAXAMPLES ARE:-

o St Paul's Cathedral in Calcutta, designed by Major W. N. Forbes in 1839.

You might also like