Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu today asked the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) to maintain transparency and accountability in its functioning as he voiced concern over corruption in the organisation.
Naidu said that even though it looked “odd” for the Vice President to talk about the issue, it was important as Prime Minister Narendra Modi waged a war against corruption and a campaign was underway to eliminate it.
The Vice President was addressing the employees on the 164th CPWD Day here.
“There are two things worrying me about CPWD because I have experience (as a former Urban Development Minister). One, chances of corruption here and there. It looks odd the VP of India is addressing this…but this an important thing as the Prime Minister has waged a war on corruption. A massive campaign is going on and it requires to acquire much more momentum.”
“As a minister I see the files about suspension, increment…. This is not a good commemoratory on the functioning of the organisation. There are a few black sheep but the black sheep will be visible. Please take care to see and introspect that we do not get into the murky thing,” he said.
Naidu was equally concerned over the delay in project execution, asserting the employees need to maintain transparency and accountability.
“Make CPWD one of the best organisations. It is time to re-introspect and rededicate yourself to the organisation. Make CPWD one of the best organisation. We are here for a mission and not for commission,” he said.
In January, 2015, Naidu as the then Urban Development Minister, had also raised his concerns over the functioning of the organisation, asking the employees to strive for a change in public perception about CPWD.
According to Urban Development Secretary Durga Shankar Mishra, projects worth Rs 15,000 crore was executed by the body in 2017.
The Vice President suggested CPWD engineers, architects and planners to take up the green initiative in a big way and make water conservation and rainwater harvesting an integral component for all future buildings being executed by the organisation. This initiative should be made mandatory, he said.
“You should never compromise on quality and always strive to meet the expectations of your clients. The most important aspect is to maintain timelines in the execution of projects. You must continually strive to innovate and improvise your work methodology and be a credible leader in the area of your activities,” he said.
Minister of State for Tourism K J Alphons urged CPWD to contribute to the growth of the tourism sector with world class infrastructure in cities which would attract foreign tourist. He said his ministry plans to generate USD 100 billion in the next five years from foreign tourist arrivals.
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