Become smarter, more dynamic: President Pranab Mukherjee to CPWD on its 160th

NEW DELHI: On the day Central Public Works Department (CPWD) completed 160 years of service, President Pranab Mukherjee today praised the principal engineering organisation for its contribution while asking it to become "smarter and more dynamic" to withstand competition.

In his inaugural address at the 160th Annual Day celebrations of CPWD here, Mukherjee asked the construction major to evolve into "a smarter, more dynamic and highly professional organisation" by benchmarking itself with the best in the world.

"The construction sector is marked by dynamism in terms of concepts, techniques and efficiency parameters. Any modern organisation operating in this evolving field can ill-afford to ignore the latest developments taking place," he said.

Recalling the contribution of CPWD, Mukherjee asked the organisation to be "alive to emerging challenges".

Stating that 'it is understandable that old organisations are often burdened with out-dated practises', the President urged CPWD to "focus on areas where innovation and modernisation in the infrastructure sector can lead to accelerated economic development".

"It is for CPWD to adopt state-of-the-art procedures for maintenance of assets. The challenge is therefore to become vibrant and enterprising and respond quickly to the changing external environment," he said.

He further suggested that CPWD should look at providing last-mile connectivity of rural roads, health and educational infrastructure, water supply and sanitation.

Referring to sustainable habitats as the need of the hour and energy-efficient building as an important strategy for sustainable urban development, the President asked CPWD to 'adopt innovative designs and practises for construction'.