Sreedharan's tips to engineers

‘Wipe out impression that engineers in Kerala lack integrity'

State Planning Board Member E. Sreedharan interacting with PWD engineers atthe Government Guest House in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday.Photo:C.Ratheesh kumar

The impression that engineers in the State lack integrity needs to be wiped out, Principal Advisor, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, and State Planning Board Member E. Sreedharan has said.

Interacting with the engineers at ‘Perspective,' a seminar on modernisation and road safety initiatives in public works organised by the Public Works Department (PWD) at the Government Guest House here on Thursday, Mr. Sreedharan reminded the engineers that they would have to overcome many temptations. “In Delhi Metro, contractors were not allowed to visit engineers at their houses,” he added.

On learning

Mr. Sreedharan said passing out of an engineering college did not make one a good engineer. One's whole life should be devoted to learning. He said engineers did have a responsibility to society and things would be different if they showed commitment, resolve, integrity, and satisfaction in the job they undertook.

“Completing project on time is social responsibility. The engineers have to realise that they have the moral responsibility to see that the money is spend judiciously for projects. Senior engineers do not spend time on roads and leave the task to junior engineers. You can execute projects on the site and not on files,” he told the PWD engineers from across the State.

On the delay in getting approvals for the Kochi Metro from the PWD, Mr. Sreedharan said engineers should take decisions and approvals should come within 48 hours. “The success of the Delhi Metro rests on the four cardinal principles of work culture — punctuality, integrity, professional commitment and social responsibility — which everyone in the organisation followed.”

The public did not prevent the work of the Delhi Metro even for a day. The success of the engineers depended on the contractors.

“Only one of the 600 contractors in Phase I of the Delhi Metro failed and that one was from Malaysia.”

Minister for Finance K. M. Mani inaugurated the valedictory session and released the findings of Infrastructure Conference 2011 by handing over a copy to Principal Secretary, Finance, V.P. Joy.