Military Engineer Services (India)

Military Engineer Services is one of the oldest and largest government defense infrastructure development agencies in India. It is mainly employed in engineering and construction for the Indian Armed Forces including the Indian Army, Indian Air Force, Indian Navy, Indian Ordnance Factories, DRDO, and the Indian Coast Guard.
Besides conventional building construction for the Armed Forces, Military Engineer Services is also involved in the execution of sophisticated and complex projects including airfields, buildings, workshops, roads, sports complex, runways, hangars, dockyards, wharves and other marine structures.
Military Engineer Services has also been entrusted with the construction of the National War Memorial (India) and National War Museum.
MES is an Inter-Service Organization with both Army and Civilian components of officers and other subordinate staff. While the execution of all construction works is through contracts, execution of all maintenance services is through contracts as well as departmentally employed labor (DEL).
Army officers from The Corps of Engineers form the Military component of the organization. whereas The IDSE (Indian Defense Service Engineers) and IDCMS (Indian Defense Contract Management Service) or Surveyor cadre, selected through prestigious Indian Engineering Services conducted by UPSC, Architect cadre and Barrack/Stores cadre form the Civilian Cadre of the organization. The Civilian and the Military components together are responsible for the efficient working of this organization.
History.
MES was established as a premier construction agency and one of the pillars of Corps of Engineers of Indian Army supporting back-end engineering development for armed forces. Though it was established as a military organization but has personnel as officers and support staff from both Army and civil fields. Currently, it is one of the largest Government construction and maintenance organization in India with a total annual budgetary allocation of Rs 13000 crores approximately, and is also responsible for strategic and operational infrastructure like roads, homes, offices, and residential buildings for all three Services and associated organizations of the Ministry of Defense. The Military Engineers was created and brought under the unified control of Engineer-in-Chief by the then Hon'ble Secretary of State of India by unification Royal Corps of Engineers Personnel and Civilian Staff on 26 September 1923. The Engineer-in-Chief is the advisor to the Ministry of Defense and the three Services on operational and peacetime construction activities. The design, construction and maintenance of all infrastructure assets of the Army, Navy and Air Force is the responsibility of this department. To facilitate the efficiency and quality of work, the organization is structured to design works that are executed through contracts under the supervision of officers and staff consisting of both civilians and combatants from the Corps of Engineers who are qualified professionals. For enabling integrated work the members consists from a multi-disciplinary team of architects, civil, electrical and mechanical engineers, structural designers, quantity surveyors and contract specialists for planning, designing and supervision of infrastructure assets. The civilian staff of the department is divided into four main categories-Engineering, Surveyor staff, Architect and BSO (all being qualified engineers), and an Administrative staff.
The organization has historical significance as it was created more than 200 years back for executing civilian and military Infrastructure. However, until the 18th century, the organization remained as part of the army as the Public Works Department (PWD), controlled by the Indian Corps of Engineers operating under the control of a Military Board but in 1851 the PWD was allocated to Civil control though was responsible for both military and civil works. However, in the year 1881, the military-related works of PWD were segregated and transferred to the military department and were headed by a Director General rank created in 1889. Subsequently, "Army in India" committee (1919–1920) allocated military-related works under the Quarter Master General and the Sappers and Miners related works under the Chief of the General Staff and were later combined under Engineer-in- Chief and also as a formal head of MES from September 1923.
Since then MES Day is celebrated on 26 September every year. The 90th celebration was celebrated on 26 September 2012, and its theme was "Cementing Bond with Users".
Precursors.
Both civil and military engineer services in India began as a military service. When the East India Company was extending and consolidating its rule over India in the 18th and 19th centuries, the army's engineering requirements were more predominant than those of other departments. 
The first establishment of "engineers" in India was formed in 1748 in the Madras Army. From 1776 to 1818 the "Bengal Sappers and Miners" existed in some form in the Bengal Army, but they officially came into being on 19 February 1819 as composed of six companies. On 1 April 1862, the two were combined with the Royal Engineers of the British Indian Army, and they were thereafter in the Department of Public Works or Railways or Survey.
As conditions stabilized, the Public Works Department was formed under the control of a "Military Board", staffed by members of the Indian Corps of Engineers and of an entirely military character. As civil works became more important, civil engineers were increasingly employed and provincial governments became dissatisfied with military control over works made on their behalf. The "Public Works Department" was under civil control from 1851 and no separate department was considered necessary for military works. Due to a boom in civil works from 1860, many civil engineers were engaged and the military began to lose control over military works. This situation was so bad by 1871 that the "Special Military Works Branch" of the Public Works Department was given responsibility for major works, and this branch was put under military control ten years later. In 1889, the "Military Works Department" took responsibility for all military works in India; by 1899, it was entirely military in nature and staffed by Royal Engineers. The organization was then renamed "Military Works Services", and then in 1923, renamed "Military Engineer Services", its name to this day.
The senior Royal Engineer officer was known as the "Director General of Public Works", but in 1921 the position's title was changed to "Director of Works". On 4 December 1923, the position of an "Engineer in Chief" was created to control both branches of military engineers (the "Sappers and Miners"/Combat Troops and the "Military Engineer Services").
Indian Defense Service of Engineers (IDSE).
The Indian Defense Service of Engineers (IDSE) is a highly prestigious engineering service that is the backbone of the infrastructure of the Indian Armed Forces. Engineers are selected through the Indian Engineering Services examination conducted by UPSC They are initially posted as assistant director (staff appointment) or assistant garrison engineer (executive appointment) and then promoted up to director general (personnel) (HAG level post). These officers, when on an executive appointment, are responsible for the overall functioning of their offices by way of providing B/R or E/m services in garrison or on the project. While on staff appointments they are associated with planning, structural design, legal and personal matters.
Officers who are promoted to EE from AE (departmental promotion from JE level) automatically become part of IDSE Gp A services.
Military Officers (Corps of Engineers).
Corps of Engineers Officers along with the Military Junior Engineers and Clerical staff form the Military Cadre in the MES. The officers, JCOs, and other ranks are posted to MES Establishments on tenures. Officers' tenure appointments range from Assistant Garrison Engineers to Engineer-in-Chief.
Indian Defense Contract Management Service (IDCMS).
The Indian Defense Contract Management Service (IDCMS) is a civil service of the Government of India. IDCMS officers are Gazetted (Group A) defense-civilian officers under the Ministry of Defense. They are responsible for all the financial matters including procurement, tendering, contract management, dispute resolution, arbitration, and quantity surveying. IDCMS (Indian Defense Contract Management Service) is one of the organized Group 'A' Services of Union of India under Administrative Control of Ministry of Defence. IDCMS officers are basically Civil Engineers by qualification who are expert in the field of Public Procurement, Contract Management, Arbitration, Quantity Surveying and negotiating the terms and conditions of Contract and ensuring compliance with the terms and conditions of Contract for the purpose of maximizing financial and operational performance and minimizing risk and disputes.
The officers in this cadre are involved in all the stages of Contract Management from the issue of NIT up to Arbitration and Court Cases. Interalia, they are involved in the framing of specifications, detailed contract drafting, competitive bidding, and analysis of tenders and their acceptance. IDCMS is the Procurement and Contract Management specialist service of the Central Govt Services.
Architect Cadre.
Architect cadre officers are responsible for producing the architectural drawings of various buildings and other structures. These officers are posted as Deputy Architect and promoted up to Additional Director General (Arch.)
Barrack & Stores Cadre.
The Barrack Service Cadre is as old as Military Engineer Services though it remained under the Control of respective Station Commanders in the initial years during the pre-independence era. The Barrack Organization was originally introduced in 1946 to build up a service of the Barrack Department on the British Army Pattern, eventually to place it under the Army Service Corps as in United Kingdom.
Special Army Order 5/S/48 was issued setting up the Barrack Service by the MES to be ultimately transferred to the OC Station for Revenue Duties. Thus the cadre was responsible to two authorities, one to the MES for furniture and stores and the other to the Station Commander for revenue duties such as handing/taking over of buildings, submission of occupation/vacation returns, issue License Fee Bills, recovery of rent & allied charges from paying consumers in occupation of defense land/buildings etc. The position was reviewed during 1949 and a Memorandum of Procedure, Organization and Duties of Barrack Services was issued in July 1949. Accordingly, Barrack Services was made responsible for Revenue duties and responsibility of billing was transferred from Station Commander to the BO function independently under Commander Works Engineers. Barrack & Store Branch provides Barrack services in addition to procuring, accounting, stocking/preserving, and issuing of stores, both for works and maintenance. Barrack services include handing/taking over of buildings to/from units & officers/staff and providing & maintaining technical & married accent furniture. These services also include regular billing for rent, water and electricity consumed by service personnel, civilian officers/staff & private parties and charging for barrack damages whenever occur. The B/S officers are posted as Barrack Stores OFFICER and promoted up to PRINCIPAL BARRACK STORES OFFICER.
Zones.
MES currently has over six hundred stations spread across the mainland and the island territories of India, to provide engineering support to various formations of the Army, Air Force, Navy and DRDO.The Military Engineer Services consists of the following zones: