General Rules

264. (a) The responsibility for repairs and maintenance of all departmental buildings inclusive of residential buildings with electric, sanitary and water-supply installations and for the execution of all petty works relating to those buildings devolves on the local officer of the department concerned subject to the control of the head of the department. The civil departments will be supplied by the Public Works Department with copies of the Public Works Department schedules of rates and of correction slips thereto : they will also be supplied with lists of contractors or designing agencies. The Public Works Department will, when required, assist the civil departments by advising them in regard to contracts, works accounts, record plans, register of buildings, etc. and in the case of works at headquarters, may be asked to advise in respect of specific points relating to such works.

(b) The Public Works Department is also responsible for the execution of major and minor works relating to all departmental buildings under the control of civil officers ; for the repairs and maintenance of official residences of the members and staff of the Government and also for the execution of petty works relating to those buildings. (See paragraphs 294, 297 and 298).

Exceptions

(i) The Inspector General of Prisons is responsible for the execution of all minor and major works relating to existing jails but he may, at his discretion, hand over to the Public Works Department any major or minor work requiring technical knowledge or scientific management. When he retains the responsibility for the execution of a major or minor work he will maintain initial and monthly accounts in the form and manner prescribed in the Public Works Account Rules, Volume VI of the Financial Handbook and submit them to the Accountant General.

(ii) For rules concerning the execution of annual and special repairs, petty and minor works relating to electric installations, see paragraph 277.

(iii) The works of the Forest Department whether major or minor are a carried out by that department in accordance with the rules laid down in the Financial Handbook, Volume VII. But that department may at their descretion hand over to the Public Works Department any major or minor work requiring technical knowledge or scientific management.

(iv) When the administration, control and execution of a major or minor work is entrusted, in very special circumstances, to a head of civil department, provision of funds for the work should be made in the budget of that department.

(v) The Executive Engineer, Building Division, Transport Organisation, is responsible for the execution of minor works of the Transport Department costing up to Rs. 1,00,000 departmentally subject to the condition that the post of Executive Engineer (Building Division) is held by an Executive Engineer of the Public Works Department.

NOTES—(1) All Government buildings except kachcha buildings and groups of buildings which are in the main kachcha will be inspected every second year by an officer of the Public Works Department of rank not less than that of an assistant engineer. Superintending Engineers will determine and intimate for the information of local heads of departments in occupation which buildings in each district will be inspected by assistant engineers and which will be inspected by divisional engineers. Inspecting officers will record the results of their inspections ions on the form specified by the Chief Engineer, one copy of which they will send to the local officer and one to the Superintending Engineer. Local heads will take steps to remdy all defects brought to their notice.

(2) Any Head of Department may ask the Public Work Department to inspect a building at any time, even within a year, if he has reason to suspect its deterioration or instability.

(3) Buildings which have wooden roof beams should continue to be inspected by the Public Works Department every year as at present.

(4) The inspecting officer of the Public Works Department shall make it a special point to report whether quadrennial repairs are being carried out adequately.

264-A. (i) No building may be purchased for a public purpose without the orders of the Government to whom a survey and valuation report by the divisional engineer, approved by the head of the department, should, in all cases, be submitted.

(ii) No residential building should be built, leased, or purchased except in accordance with the rules laid down in Annexure A to this chapter.

265. (a) The following records shall be maintained in respect of departmental buildings, and local officers will be held responsible for their being kept up-to-date :

A—Non-residential and rent-free buildings not borne on the capital and revenue accounts—

(a) Record plans including land plans.

(b) Register of land in Form no. 26.

B—Residential buildings borne on the capital and revenue accounts—

(a) Record plans including land plans.

(b) Register of land in Form no. 26.

(d) Sanctioned rent statement.

(e) Capital and revenue accounts in Form no. 27.

C—Residential buildings which are not borne on the capital and revenue accounts, but which are rentable—

(a) Record plans including land plans.

(b) Register of land in Form no. 26.

(d) Sanctioned rent statement.

NOTE—Rent statements should be prepared in respect of rent-free residences also in cases where municipal taxes are assessed on the buildings and are recovered from the tenants in accordance with the procedure laid down in notes (2) and (3) under rule 30(c), Appendix X to this Volume.

(b) Information relating to sanitary installations, water-supply and electric installation will be entered with that concerning the building itself in the register of buildings, the sanctioned rent statement and the capital and revenue accounts.

NOTE—Where record plans do not exist for buildings such as those which have all along been in the keeping of departments in occupation, line plans should be drawn and recorded in the remarks column of the register of buildings.

266. The register of land and the land plans are records of Government property. The local officer will enter in his register all transactions as soon as they occur and will certify once a year that there are no encroachments on the land in his charge. The certificate will be sent to the Collector of the district. The local officer will maintain a complete and accurate set of land plans.

267. (Deleted).

268. The capital and revenue accounts are designed to check the expenditure on and realization of rent from residential buildings and to show the financial result of the undertaking by the Government to maintain residences for their officers. The form will be prepared after the close of every fifth financial year, reckoned from 1960-61, by the local officer with the information from his work accounts and a copy will be sent by him to the Accountant General by July 31.

The sanction of the Government in the administrative department concerned is necessary to the removal of a building from the capital and revenue accounts.

(See also "note" under paragraph 291).

269. The register of buildings is a record of Government property. It should be brought up-to-date by the local officer when there is a change in capital value.