Now, CPM talks tough on CPWD ‘privatisation’

What has got the CPI(M) angry is that a consultant, ICRA, has just made a presentation to Urban Development Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on how the CPWD’s functioning can be modernised.

CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury has told junior CPWD engineers: ‘‘We are against neo-liberal economic policies for various reasons. It is anti-poor, it is anti-employee. We want to make it very clear that if someone wants to privatise the services of CPWD, we will oppose it for the very same reasons.’’

But a senior Urban Development Ministry official has said ICRA is yet to even submit a study on the so-called “restructuring”, which the Left has dubbed “privatisation”. “There is no plan to privatise the CPWD. Only a presentation was made by ICRA. The study was commissioned to find out ways to make the CPWD more competitive,’’ the official said.

‘‘We have not delegated any contract to any private organisation, nor did the Ministry hire any private consultant to do the CPWD work,’’ he added. Even so, Yechury has said: ‘‘Crores of rupees are being paid to private consultants in the name of consultancy when CPWD has the expertise to take up such jobs.’’

Brinda Karat has said that by allotting all the work to private contractors, the Centre is not allowing CPWD employees to work. ‘‘The government is killing a live department which is capable of contributing to the welfare of the country,’’ she said.

Even though the ICRA has suggested that the CPWD should no longer be asked to engage in public works maintenance, the ministry official stressed: ‘‘No decision has been taken. It is still at a very early stage of discussion.’’

What is being examined is how to use the CPWD’s 7,000-strong technical workforce for competitive construction and designing work that will crop up once the Central plan of building satellite townships around mega-cities and the Urban Renewal Plan takes off.

The Government also has to consider how to convert the 150-year-old CPWD into a money-spinning set-up like the oil PSUs with perhaps a former cadre official heading the department. Incidentally, a senior bureaucrat within the Ministry has opposed this.

A senior official who attended the presentation said the CPWD’s expertise is being wasted in maintaining public works and carrying out renovation and construction work — like border fencing. Ministries and other Government departments delegate these tasks to the CPWD.

The Ministry official said ICRA had been commissioned by the UPA Government to do a similar study on possible administrative reforms.