Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Wednesday hailed the services of the engineers of the Public Works Department (PWD) and claimed that their sincere efforts had taken the department to new heights.

Speaking soon after inaugurating Visvesvaraya Gate outside Visvesvaraya Auditorium on occasion of Engineers` Day celebrated all over the country on the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna great engineer Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, the deputy chief minister said that the development work taken up by the PWD even during the lockdown during COVID-19 pandemic had boosted the economy and attracted many investors to come and invest in UP.

Maurya also threw light on the life of Bharat Ratna Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya in his address and announced that a huge statue of the great engineer would be installed on his birth anniversary.

He said that the days when the political leadership of our country was agitating for independence, in those days engineer Visvesvaraya was struggling alone for the growth of the country economically and industrially. “He was such a person who made a valuable contribution in nation building through engineering,” he said.

In his address, the deputy chief minister also called for following the ideals of Visvesvaraya. He said that to remember the contribution of Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, Engineer's Day celebrations were held on his birth anniversary every year.

Announcing the start of the drive to make all the roads `pothole free’ by October 15, Maurya asked the engineers to closely monitor the work as well as making surprise inspections to ensure that the work was completed in time maintaining a good standard of work. He also highlighted the work done so far by the PWD to boost the infrastructure of the state.