A move that is welcomed

The action taken against the higher-ups of the Public Works Department ( Architectural Wing) yesterday is a warning to officials who think that they can earn money by doing anything without fearing anyone if they have the security of government jobs. The Chief Architect and Deputy Chief Architect were suspended. Action has also been recommended against 18 employees of the Chief Architect's office. Public Works Minister P A Mohammed Riyas personally went to the office after receiving complaints that there were many irregularities in the Chief Architect's office, which was not generally inspected. Shocking irregularities were seen there. On the day of the minister's visit, only 14 of the total 41 employees showed up for work on time. On the other hand, there were pieces of evidence that some of them leave the office after punching and were earning money by doing private jobs outside.

The punching system is yet to be linked to Spark, and the government's proposal to do so has been ignored. The officers coming to the office did not even keep the cash declaration register which has to be updated daily. When the bosses who were supposed to control all this turned a blind eye, everything became easy for the fraudsters. The Minister, who is supposed to look into the matter in detail, ordered the Public Works Vigilance to conduct an investigation. The current action has been taken based on a vigilance investigation. People think that the suspension is a temporary punishment, but the minister has also ordered a detailed further investigation here. The punitive action taken now also serves to silence the usual critics who believe that the lightning visits of ministers are nothing more than farces to throw dust in the eyes of people. It is commendable that the process has been initiated nearly a month after the minister visited the architect's office on March 23.

Architects play a vital role in the design of all construction works like government buildings and bridges. When the misdeeds of a small number of officers create a bad name for the entire department, the leadership should take the initiative to nip such tendencies in the bud itself. Instances, where construction work has been halted due to delay in getting the architect's drawing, have also come to the notice of Vigilance. The public works department is already infamous for massive corruption and can only be cleaned up with a strict stance.

In order to ensure the quality of the construction works carried out by the Public Works Department by direct inspection at the sites, the department is currently carrying out excellent activities, including the establishment of automatic quality testing labs in the Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Kozhikode regions. The government's design policy has also been drafted. Things can be done quickly only if those who lead corruption and mismanagement that are hindering the development of the country are caught. Government should also be ready to encourage the ones who excel while the corrupt are shackled. The decision to re-implement the Best Engineer Award which was stopped is also welcomed.