Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia’s claims that secretaries in the Public Works Department (PWD) being regularly transferred are “habitually false and misleading” and exhibit “utter lack of knowledge of procedures”, a source in the Lieutenent-Governor’s Secretariat said on Monday.

“The statement has been obviously issued by Mr Sisodia to divert the attention of the people from the utter failure of PWD under the AAP government which has resulted in the pathetic condition of roads in the city and non-completion of works on various projects and the absence of any new initiative,” said the official source. He further said that Sisodia, who says that “Delhi LG shuffled PWD Secretary every six months”, is not even aware that the LG took charge just nine months back.

He also claimed that not a single officer serving as Secretary (PWD) has been “transferred” by him during the past nine months.

“On September 16 in 2022, H Rajesh Prasad, serving as Principal Secretary was relieved from GNCTD for serving in Jammu and Kashmir by the Government of India. Another officer, Vikas Anand serving as Secretary (PWD) was relieved from GNCTD to enable the officer to join the Government of India as Jt. Secretary for which he had been empanelled and had subsequently applied for serving as Jt. Secretary in the Centre,” he added.

He also said that such transfers or relieving are not done as per anybody’s whims and fancies, as Sisodia desires for himself so that a “corrupt nexus” of politicians, civil servants, engineers and contractors could be “established” in PWD.

Earlier, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia alleged that LG Vinai Kumar Saxena is trying to stall major infrastructure projects in the national capital by transferring the Secretary of Public Works Department (PWD) every six months, and turning it into a “headless” body.

“Since September 2020, the Delhi government has had five PWD secretaries, one every six months, and the position is currently kept vacant by Delhi’s LG, leaving many infrastructure projects in a state of disarray,” Sisodia said in an official statement.

He further alleged that the Delhi LG is shuffling PWD Secretaries like a pack of cards and turning PWD into a headless body.

“The Delhi Government has been working tirelessly to develop the state’s infrastructure, but the LG’s frequent changes of PWD Secretaries have obstructed our progress. It is a deliberate attempt to abuse his office’s powers and derail CM Arvind Kejriwal’s vision to transform Delhi into a world-class city,” Sisodia said.

As head of the department, the PWD Secretary presides over a team of over 3000 engineers and officials, provides administrative and financial approvals, and plays a critical role in coordinating the execution of infrastructure projects in the city in a timely manner.