The battle over control of 5,700 km of link roads in Punjab has intensified, with Public Works Department (PWD) engineers seeking the Chief Minister’s intervention to halt the transfer of 10 market committees to the Punjab Mandi Board.In a representation to the Chief Minister’s Office, the engineers questioned the financial prudence of the move, alleging that the mandi board awards tenders at higher rates than the PWD. They warned that the transfer could increase the burden on the state exchequer, duplicate infrastructure and disrupt road maintenance.The government has transferred the jurisdiction of market committees at Phagwara, Hoshiarpur, Anandpur Sahib, Charnathal, Sirhind, Ahmedgarh, Kalanaur, Goniana and Bhucho to the mandi board.The association argued that the PWD already has the technical manpower, field infrastructure and established systems for tendering, supervision, quality control and maintenance. The transfer, it said, would create parallel administrative arrangements while the department continued to meet its existing contractual obligations.The engineers also questioned the move in the absence of approval from the apex committee, which had fixed approximately 50:50 division of link-road works between the PWD and the mandi board.According to the association, the proposed transfer of 5,700 km link roads would account for nearly 18 per cent of the PWD’s share. The reduced workload could leave several divisions and their sanctioned staff under-utilised.The affected establishment includes around five executive engineers, 12 sub-divisional engineers, 43 junior engineers and 100 clerical employees, besides supporting staff. The annual salary expenditure associated with these posts is estimated at Rs 14.40 crore.To support its argument, the association cited tender savings of approximately Rs 1,472 crore achieved by the PWD since 2022. It urged the government to compare tender rates, quality, durability, adherence to specifications and overall value before transferring responsibility for the roads.The engineers also flagged the possibility of additional recurring expenditure, delays and coordination problems arising from parallel administrative and technical arrangements.They have sought a stay on the transfer pending a review of its financial, technical and administrative implications, arguing that the decision should be assessed in terms of its cost to the state and its impact on road maintenance.