Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State(I/C) for Housing & Urban Affairs, while recognizing the crucial role played by CPWD ever since its formation in July 1854 in constructing infrastructure essential to the growth of the country, stated that CPWD has emerged as a market leader in sustainable infrastructure development and adoption of green technologies. The development of the iconic ‘Sadaiv Atal’ Samadhi as a memorial to former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, in 45 days without cutting a single tree; installation of solar roof top panels on government buildings to help reduce their carbon footprint, and installation of wastewater treatment plants in Sir Visvesvaraya Kendriya Bhawan (Bangalore) for horticulture use – are insightful examples, the Minister said. “Such an approach is critical for the Swachh Bharat Mission and the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation to achieve green and sustainable success. The organization has not only kept up with global architectural and sustainability standards, but has also assumed a leading role in formulation of these standards for institutions across the country”, he added. The Minister was speaking at the 165th CPWD Day function organized at Vigyan Bhawan here today. ShriDurga Shankar Mishra, Secretary Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Prabhakar Singh, Director General, CPWD and senior officers from all over the country were present at the function.
The Housing & Urban Affairs Minister also quoted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech of 4th April, 2018, at the inauguration ceremony for the Western Court Annexe building, commended CPWD stating -‘The general image attached to government departments is of unreliability…people think private contractors would do a better job…but when you see a project like this completed, it negates those perceptions and establishes that government agencies (CPWD) can do the job well, in time and while keeping expenses under budget…These three factors have been carried out successfully by this department…From the bottom of my heart I would like to congratulate all officers and staff of the department, who have worked hard to make this project a success’Noting that CPWD has chosen “Innovative Development for a New India” as the theme for this year’s Annual Day Celebration, Shri Hardeep S Puri urgedeveryone at CPWD to take cognizance of these new developments to adapt with skill, speed and efficiency and take up newer challenges especially in areas of new and alternate construction technologies in consonance with the vision of our Hon’ble Prime Minister of a - ‘New India’.Referring to the Prime Minister’s motto of ‘SabkaSaath, SabkaVikas, SabkaVishwas’, India’s journey of becoming a USD 5 trillion economy by 2024, and a developed nation by 2047, Shri Hardeep S Puri stated that it will be anchored in innovative, sustainable, and inclusive infrastructure development and expressed confidence that CPWD will continue playing a key role in these areas, by establishing key exchanges of information, expertise and infrastructure development across ministries, organisations and industries.CPWD with a work order of around Rs.1,50,000 crore is on course to further achieve success by leveraging skilled human resource of more than 8000 competent Engineers, Architects and Horticulturists, serving a clientele of over 600 organizations. Showcased by the collaborations with – 1) Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for the ‘Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan’ - increasing access to government buildings for persons with disabilities; and 2) Building administrative blocks and hostels in public educational institutions like IIT, Bhubaneswar, the Minister said.