Social audit committees to examine PWD work

Kerala government has decided to constitute Social Audit Committees in state, district and constituencies level to examine the work carried out by Public Works Department in a bid to check short comings and corruption, PWD Minister G Sudhakaran said today.
The names of Dr Aravindakshan, retired professor from IIT Madras and well-known sculptor Kannayi Kunhiraman are being considered to be members of the state level social audit committee, Sudhakaran said at a meet the press programme here.
"PWD was a hub of large scale corruption due to nexus between corrupt politicians, bureaucrats and contractors", he said adding steps have been taken to break this nexus.

"Corruption starts from the time of preparing the estimates, he said adding LDF government has given orders that at no circumstances revised estimates would be sanctioned, which he said was one of the main source of corruption."
Sudhakaran said after the LDF government came to power in May last, for transfers and postings, strict guidelines have been followed.
"Money to a tune of Rs 200 crores used to exchange hands for transfer and postings during earlier years", he said.
Another major step taken by the LDF government was the decision to take back the rest and guest houses of PWD given on lease to private parties by the UDF government, he said.

All roads in the state could be reconstructed by spending about Rs 5000 crore, he said.