A remnant of colonial legacy, the 150-year-old CPWD is likely to be restructured into a competitive profit-making enterprise. The government has decided to hire a professional agency to prepare the blueprint to revamp the CPWD, which has been categorised as ‘‘anachronistic’’ in its functioning.Backing the move to hire an outside consultancy service, the Urban Development Ministry’s note states: ‘‘Rather than entrusting this work of review and restructuring of CPWD to a group of retired or serving professionals, it may be more useful to entrust this work to a professional agency, rendering consultancy advice on such matters’’.However, the ministry added that ‘‘such an agency will be selected on the basis of suitability and as per procedure permissible under the government rules/instructions’’.One of the reasons behind the endeavour, the note mentions, is the urgent need to deliver ‘‘efficient service at competitive costs’’.According to the Ministry, since choices are now available to client departments and organisations, ‘‘permission is constantly sought to undertake construction works through agencies other than the CPWD’’.The idea, it seems, is to galvanise CPWD into taking on the private sector in the construction business. Urban Development Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who initiated the plan, said there is an imperative need to review the structure and functioning of CPWD so that it remains relevant in the changed scenario and continues to dominate the construction sector.In a simultaneous exercise, the CPWD Vigilance Department is being revamped as well. With over 14,000 cases pending before the vigilance section, the Ministry has decided to make the post of Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) an ex-cadre post. Till now, the section was headed by a CPWD official. The post of CVO would be filled by either an IPS/IAS or joint secretary-level official ‘‘to make it independent from the existing administrative set-up’’.
