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*Drawing attention of the Government to the unsatisfactory management and state of affairs in public works, the Court of Directors of the East India Company, in early 1850, instituted a Commission in each Presidency for investigation. The members of the Commission were unanimous on the inability of the Military Board in the management of public works. Lord Dalhousie founded the Public Works branch detatched from the Department (PWD ) through which roads, railways, bridges, irrigation and became the Military other public utility works were undertaken <ref name=pwd>[http://www.pwdwb.in/home/page/history "Public Works Service under the [[Indian ArmyDepartment of West Bengal History"]] in 1899; Retrieved on 22 Jun2016</ref>.
The PWD around 1870 was headed by the PWD Secretary to the Government of India – a consultant engineer and advisor to [[Viceroy]] and Council.
Deputy Secretaries were responsible for the Departments of :
*Irrigation
*Railways and
*Military Engineering
Additional paragraphs added to intoduction and 'Departmental Structure' with link to new page - 'Railway Branch - PWD'
Public Works in India, such as the construction of roads, water tank, etc. was originally conducted by the military. This started with the Pioneers and then by the Public Works Department of the [[Town Major's List]] ([[Bengal]] & [[Bombay]]) or the [[Effective Supernumeraries]] ([[Madras]]). Much of the responsibility for public works was then passed over to a special section of the [[Indian Civil Service]] in the mid-19th century. Later, the military once more took responsibility for much of the public works.
The Commission proposal, which was implemented in 1854, set out the following basic features <ref name=pwd/>: -*Europeans employed on State [[Railways]] were usually on the strength The Control of PWD was removed from under the PWD Military Board and therefore a civil servant (eligible for pension etc)placed under the Chief Engineers. NB in this context, if your ancestor turns up on a railway in India and the record contains "*The PWD" in came under the note or description, then this does not refer to "Permanent Way Department" (as it would in a UK context) but control of respective provincial Government *Chief Engineers to be assisted by the Public Works Department!Superintending Engineer & Executive Engineer.
==Departmental Structure==
The PWD was headed by the PWD Secretary to the Government of India – a Consultant Engineer and advisor to [[Viceroy]] and Council Deputy Secretaries were responsible for the each branch
In 1866-68 the PWD was divided into three branches namely<ref name=pwd/>:-
*'''Civil Branch - PWD''' (Roads, Building & Irrigation),
*'''[[Railway Branch - PWD]]''' ''(see seperate page)'' - which was disolved in 1905 on the creation of the [[Railway Board]]
*'''Military Works Branch''' - which detatched from the PWD and became the Military Works Service under the [[Indian Army]] in 1899.
Local Government had its PWD Secretary who was
*Advisor to [[Lieutenant Governor]] or [[Chief Commissioner]]
