The Public Works Department (PWD), mired in bureaucratic entanglements of postings, transfers, and promotions, has suffered a significant blow as it is stripped of the prestigious and politically sensitive Nagpur Vidhan Bhavan expansion project. The Maharashtra State Infrastructure Development Corporation (MSIDC) will now take over the task—marking the first time in India that such a high-security legislature complex is being entrusted to a state-run corporation rather than the traditional PWD.
The decision, finalized at a high-level meeting chaired by Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar on May 26 in Mumbai, has sparked internal ripples across departments. Executive Engineer Akanksha Meshram of MSIDC has already formally requested a complete handover of all related documents from the PWD, including architectural designs, structural audits, inspection reports from the last decade, and crucial ownership proofs such as the 7/12 extracts.
The urgency of this administrative reshuffle stems from preparations for a likely delimitation. The expansion plan targets accommodation for 800 members—500 in the Vidhan Sabha and 300 in the Vidhan Parishad. A new central hall will also be part of the redevelopment.
To facilitate this, 9,670 square meters from the Government Press land are being transferred to the Vidhan Mandal Secretariat. In return, 9,660 square meters from the Food and Civil Supplies Department will be allocated to the Government Press—a contentious land swap resolved only after Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule intervened.
While MSIDC takes over construction, the PWD has been relegated to routine maintenance of existing structures. Sources suggest Speaker Narvekar may personally review project progress this week. For the PWD, the message is clear: the era of inefficiency will no longer be tolerated when it comes to critical state infrastructure.
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