Bukhari sets 90 day-time for PWD’s image makeover

Minister for Public Works Department, Floriculture and Parks, Syed Altaf Bukhari Wednesday said he had set a 90-day time for image makeover of the departments under him.
In an exclusive interview at his office at civil secretariat in Jammu, Bukhari said changing the image of the departments under him from being the “most corrupt” departments to the “most development-oriented” departments was a top priority for him.
“I have set a deadline of 90 days for their image makeover,” he said. “As I am taking over these departments, the general impression is that these are the most corrupt departments and I want to change this impression.”
A big business magnate and a member of opposition Peoples Democratic Party’s influential core group, Syed Altaf Bukhari was PDP’s candidate from Amira Kadal assembly constituency for 2014 Legislative Assembly polls.
His FIL Industries is Asia’s third largest fruit juice concentrate manufacturing unit and he owns one of the largest controlled atmosphere stores in India.
The businessman-turned-politician, Bukhari, 56, who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Sciences, said the government’s immediate priority would be to repair the roads damaged by one of the worst floods to have hit the State in September last year.
“The priority is to upgrade the roads and make them up to the mark,” he said. “The government will also ensure quality control to the highest standard against what we saw in the previous regime where the macadamized roads would get damaged within a year.”
Bukhari, who is known for his philanthropic activities and was projected by PDP as the party’s face in Srinagar, said he would try to remove all the bottlenecks in the implementation of different schemes in his ministry and ensure that the minister’s office becomes facilitator rather than a roadblock.
He promised his ministry would follow a transparent system of postings and appointment, and allotment of works.
“Norms will be followed strictly and the no contracts would be given on preferences,” the PWD minister said. “If my workers fulfill the norms, they will get contracts, if they don’t they won’t.”
Bukhari, who has been a close aide of Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed since 1984, said his ministry would no longer be involved in the business of transfers as the government would come up with a transfer policy, which would be followed in letter and spirit.
He said his ministry would not go for random development plans and only take those works in hand for which the funds are available with the government.
“Instead of starting 20 development works and finishing none due to non-availability of funds, we will work on two projects,” he said citing an example.
Bukhari, who has been on the Board of Directors of the National Horticulture Board and Board of Governors of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, said the coalition government of the PDP and rightwing Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) would not stop any development works that were taken in hand by the previous government.
“The government is a continuous affair, only the faces change and so nothing like that will happen,” the PWD minister said.
Bukhari was a member of the Board of Management of the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agriculture Sciences, Technology, member of Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute and member of the Management Committee of the Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture (CITH), Srinagar.
He routinely contributes for social cause through various charitable activities and has created additional work opportunities for women besides contributing funds for education, health and in times of natural calamities and distress.
The senior PDP leader said his ministry would not go after officers who are close to the National Conference or Congress.
“Our engineers are the best and our work force is the best,” Bukhari said. “We will provide them transparent and conducive atmosphere so that they can work for the betterment of the masses.”