With the aim of streamlining the working of the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board (PWSSB), the Punjab government has reorganised it and abolished the post of managing director to replace it with chief executive officer (CEO), apart from sanctioning the filling of posts of the engineering staff in all five municipal corporations (MCs) of the state.
In the operation and maintenance (O&M) cell of the five corporations Jalandhar, Bathinda, Patiala, Ludhiana and Amritsar -the nod has been given to fill vacant posts of engineering staff. The state government's order in this regard was issued on September 30 by the director, local government, Punjab.
As per the orders, the PWSSB will now not be headed by any officer of the same department. Either an IAS officer or a PCS officer (with 18 years of experience) would head the board in the capacity of CEO.
Meanwhile, for the five municipal corporations, it would be the MC's responsibility to get the new capital works done through reputed private companies through public private partnership (PPP)/engineering procurement construction (EPC) model, the order said, adding that the company would be liable for maintaining the project for a period of 15 years.
"The funds for the new capital works would be provided by the state government/department of local government to the MCs. The company maintaining the project will recover the charges from the beneficiaries (in the form of user charges), as per the rates fixed by the government," the notification reads.
{{/usCountry}}"The funds for the new capital works would be provided by the state government/department of local government to the MCs. The company maintaining the project will recover the charges from the beneficiaries (in the form of user charges), as per the rates fixed by the government," the notification reads.
{{/usCountry}}The state government has also clarified that the works already been executed by the PWSSB would be completed by the board.
Of the total of 142 posts of engineers of various ranks of the O&M cell, 86 are vacant.