Empty chairs, dangling wires and waste in the open: these were some of the sights that greeted Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday morning when he made a surprise visit to Nirman Bhavan, which houses the Ministries of Urban Development and Housing and Poverty Alleviation.
The Minister, who holds the portfolio of both these Ministries besides Parliamentary Affairs, was angry at staff not reporting on time.
The unpleasant sight of unclean canteens and toilets in the building drew the Minister’s ire, but he decided not to penalise the staff. “It was my first day. I did not want to take action against any employee,” he told mediapersons.
When he visited the office at 9 a.m., the Minister noticed rooms of several officers and staff empty.
“He [Mr. Naidu] walked into rooms of several officers and their supporting staff. He also inspected corridors and the rooms in the building wherein the two urban affairs related departments are located,” a statement issued by the Minister’s office said. The Minister took note of electrical and other wires dangling along corridors. Secretary (Urban Development) Sudhir Krishna and other senior officials, including those belonging to the Central Public Works Department, were pulled up by the Minister over late arrival of officers and other staff and poor maintenance of the working place.
The Minister also expressed concern over former Members of Parliament and Ministers continuing to occupy houses allotted to them. He requested former MPs to vacate the houses at the earliest.
