Surprise visit to ministry upsets Urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu

New Delhi: Urban development minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday returned “upset” after a surprise checking drive of punctuality of officers and cleanliness in the Nirman Bhawan premises as he noticed callousness among senior officials with regard to reporting to duty on time.

Mr Naidu arrived at the Nirman Bhawan, which houses the urban development ministry, at 9 am unannounced and began taking a round of several floors of the buildings and even checking some rooms to get a first hand experience of how government officers are maintained. Sources in the ministry told this newspaper that many officials did not turn up work at 9 am and came “quite late” which irked the minister who later summoned the urban development secretary to express his displeasure over the issue. The Minister was greeted with empty chairs when he entered several rooms.