HIGHWAYS DEPARTMENT

ORGANISATION STRUCTURE

Highways Department
In an effort to re-organize the overall administration set-up and to increase the efficiency of the Highways Department, a new post of Director General will be
Created. The works of the department will be distributed among the eight wings of the Department as detailed below:-
a) Director General Wing:

• Overall Planning and Budgeting of Highways Department  Establishment matters of all staff in Highways Department.
•  Any other works the Government entrust then and there.

b) Construction & Maintenance Wing:

•  Maintenance of State Highways, Major District Roads and Other District Roads and bridges thereon.
•  Execution of Part –II scheme works.
•  Restoration of roads and bridges damaged by the
• natural calamities like Monsoon, Flood and Tsunami.
•  Execution of road and bridge works under Comprehensive Road Infrastructure Development Programme

•  Formation of bypasses
•  Implementation of road Infrastructure schemes under Public Private Partnership
•  Sugarcane road development schemes
•  Any other works the Government entrust then and there.

c) National Highways Wing:

•  National Highways Development Plan works and maintenance of roads and bridges on National Highways with the funds of the Government of India.
•  Revamped Central Road Fund scheme works.
•  Economic and Interstate Importance scheme works.
•  Bharat Nirman scheme works.
•  Western Ghat Development Programme and Hill Area Development Programme works.
•  Other centrally sponsored schemes relating to road development.

d) NABARD and Rural Roads Wing:

•  Roads and bridge works with NABARD assistance
•  Tsunami Relief works with Asian Development Bank assistance.
•  Maintenance of certain Other District Roads
•  Any other works the Government entrust then and there.

e) Projects Wing:

•  Road Over and Under Bridges in Railway level crossings under the Railway Works Programme
•  Major Bridge works with State funds and NABARD assistance
•  Radial Roads and Ring Roads
•  Formation of Sugarcane Roads
•  Any other special scheme works entrusted by Government

f) Metro Wing:

•  Execution of Chennai Metropolitan Development Plan (CMDP) works
•  Road works, major bridge works and bridge works in road junctions under TNUDP – III

•  Any other works in Metropolitan area entrusted by Government

g) Tamil Nadu Road Sector Project Wing:

•  Road upgradation works with World Bank assistance
•  Enhanced road maintenance works
•  Undertaking studies for projects to be implemented through Public Private Partnership
•  Strengthening the organisational set-up and implementation of Action Plans
•  Implementation of Road Accident Data Management System

h) Investigation and Designs Wing:

•  Carrying out investigation for new road & bridge works
•  Preparation of structural designs, drawings and estimates for bridge works costing Rs. 2 crores and above
•  Any other works entrusted by Government from time to time

i) Highways Research Station:

•  Research activities relating to roads and bridges
•  Road safety and traffic improvement works
•  Quality Control activities through Highways Research Station and regional laboratories
•  Any other works entrusted by Government

j) Tamil Nadu Road Infrastructure Development Corporation (TNRIDC):

•  Development of road and bridge infrastructure required in industrial areas
•  Any other special works entrusted by Government

k) Tamil Nadu Road Development Company (TNRDC):

•  Management of Chennai Outer Ring Road Works
•  Undertaking Rajiv Gandhi IT Expressway works
•  Improving and maintaining the East Coast Road (Chennai to Puduchery) as Toll Road
•  Any other works entrusted by Government

4.2. Tamil Nadu Maritime Board

•  Management of Minor Ports
•  Creation of Minor Ports through Private participation
•  Running Maritime Academy connected with ship to give employment opportunity to youth

4.3. Poompuhar Shipping Corporation:

•  Transportation of coal required by the Thermal Power Plants of TNEB through ships
•  To provide boat transport by sea to the tourists of Kanyakumari to visit Ayyan Tiruvalluvar Statue and Vivekananda memorial rock and back.

4.4. Institutional Development of the Department
a) Revamping organization setup
The Government have decided to revamp the age-old procedures in administrative set-up of the department to cope-up the present needs with World Bank Assistance and started implementation of revamping the organization set-up of the department.
Accordingly, the computerizations of offices, enhancing the powers of Engineers, re-distribution of works among the different wings have already been implemented.
As a part of re-organization, the Government orders will be issued for creation of a new post of Director General to co-ordinate the functions of different wings of the department, Quality Control Setup to ensure the quality of the works and for revamping the administrative set-up .  During the past 5  years (2006-11), 1621 vacancies in various posts have been filled-up through direct recruitment as follows:-

b) International Standard Organization 9001: 2008 Certification (ISO 9001: 2008 Certification)
As a part of re-organization of administrative set-up, action is being taken as a first step to obtain I.S.O (International Standard Organization) Certification for Coimbatore, Trichy Circles and Pudukottai and Erode Divisions of General wing and
for Coimbatore Division of NABARD &RR wing of this department.
The audit report has been given to the National Productivity Council (NPC) and the task of obtaining certificate has been entrusted to the Bureau of Indian Standards.

The National Productivity Council (NPC) has completed the audit. An application fee for obtaining the certificate has been remitted. International Standard Organization is likely to take-up the audit soon.
Certificate will be obtained in June 2010.
c) Road Management System:
Under the Tamil Nadu Road Sector Project which is being implemented with World Bank assistance, the data on roads and bridges throughout the State have been collected through networking system, processed and stored in consultation with the experts in the field and implemented. The software on road management system has been uploaded in the server of the office of the Chief Engineer (General). Data collection and field survey are undertaken through Highways Research Station. This has been designed in such a away to help formulate State
Highways and Major District Roads and to monitor them. Moreover,

•  Preparation of budget for various schemes
•  Observing the performance and usage of entire road network and
•  Assessment of achievement made towards the goal set can be made by this.

d) Road Accident Data Management System:
Government have issued orders on 23.12.2008 to evolve a Road Accident Data Management System by the Highways Department in association with the Police and Transport Departments. Standard guidelines approved in G.O. dated: 22.09.2009 for this system is being implemented. Under this scheme,
 Arrangements have been made to develop a GIS based Computerized software to record, store, analyse and disseminate the data for the purpose of registering the accidents taking place in the Highways, investigating and exchanging the data.
 Orders have been issued to the State Transport Planning Centre (STPC) functioning under the control of Police Department, to collect and monitor
data on road accidents and works are being undertaken accordingly.
e) Committee on Revised Administrative Sanction:
During execution of works particularly bridge works, by this department, due to change in design, price variation or necessity for additional items, there arise a situation to obtain Revised Administrative Sanction for certain works. In order to avoid the delay in according Revised Administrative Sanction for works by scrutinising each and every case individually, a committee with the representative of Government Finance Department was formed on 4.12.2008. A committee consisting of 3 retired Chief Engineers of the department has been formed to scruitinise the changes occurred due to technical reasons and to recommend the cases to the above committee. Based on the recommendations of the committee, for 536 road and bridge works costing Rs.1837.23  crores ,orders of Government according Revised
Administrative Sanction have been issued in no time and action taken to complete the works quickly.

f) Technical committee on estimates:
In order to follow the proper technical guidelines in all the estimates of road and bridge works and to execute the works with minimum cost, Technical Committees consisting of Divisional Engineers, Superintending Engineers and state level Engineers are functioning from the year 2009. Accordingly, to give technical guidance for the preparation of estimates for road and bridge works costing from Rs.15 lakhs to Rs.50 lakhs by the Divisional Engineers level committee and for the works costing from Rs. 50 lakhs to Rs.2 Crores by the Superintending Engineers level committee and for the works costing more than Rs. 2 Crores by the Chief
Engineers level committee, various committees have been formed and based on the guidance of these committees estimates are prepared and works executed.