Is ‘Zero Corruption’ keeping PWD portfolio away from Dhavalikar?

The Public Works Department (PWD) ministry is never without any rumble in the government; in the Congress-led government the former PWD minister Churchill Alemao made it a high point in corruption. Now, the Parrikar-led government is just about breaking from its deadlock on portfolio allocations on account of the PWD ministry. And the reason the PWD ministry might not go the MGP minister is because of the ‘Zero Corruption’ mantra of the new government.

Sources in the BJP-MGP alliance have told GoaChronicle.com that even though Ramakrishna (Sudin) Dhavalikar – the MGP appointed minister – has been lobbying hard for the PWD ministry once again. For those not in the know, Dhavalikar had initially also held the PWD ministry in the Congress-led government before it was given to Alemao during the merger of Save Goa Front (SGF) with Congress. But, BJP members are not keen to hand over the most controversial portfolio to Dhavalikar as the minister too has been in the eye of the storm on issues of corruption in the Transport Department and also the PWD department in the past.  And with the previous government leaving a can of worms on issues of corruption in this department, it would need are far more upright minister to put the system of ‘zero corruption’ back in place and many feel that Dhavalikar is certainly not the man.

In all likelihood the Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is going to be taken over the Public Works Department (PWD) ministry as well after keeping the Mining, Education, Town & Country Planning, Finance and Home portfolios under his resign.