Transparency key to success, engineers told

Chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda on Thursday said that engineers can achieve success only if they discharge their duties with transparency.

He was speaking after inaugurating the 151st birth anniversary of Sir M Visvesvaraya organised jointly by Karnataka Engineers Association and Taskforce for Quality and Engineering Services, at Senate Bhavan in the city.

Saying that of 60,000 students graduating out of 182 engineering colleges in the state alone per annum, only 18 per cent are making it to the profession. While the annual number of engineering graduates across the nation is calculated at 6.15 lakh per annum. The engineers should emulate the principles of Sir MV, an engineering genius whose watchword was ‘discipline, duty and dedication’.

Water resources minister Basavaraj Bommai gave a call to the engineers to be abreast of changes and update on par with growing technology. He said that the ministry is adopting newer technologies making the job easier. 

The department is in the possession of a hi-tech camera that could capture 100 km from a point making the survey easy, besides electronic flow meter to check outflow of water from reservoirs.

Public works department minister C M Udasi said while most of the scientists in the past had just one invention to their credit, Sir M Visvesvaraya was a multi-faceted personality. He was the brain behind many firsts in the state — be it banking, water reservoir, iron and steel factory to name a few.

Karnataka engineers association president Nagaraj urged the chief minister to declare September 15 as Engineer’s Day, besides declaring ‘Shilpi Nilaya’ the house where the great visionary lived during his stay (now converted as office of superintending engineer, PWD, Mysore circle) in Nazarbad, as heritage structure.

If the very house is converted into a museum, preserving the articles used by the engineering genius, it would be an added tourist attraction. That apart, he reminded the chief minister of the long pending demand for naming Chikkaballpura district after Sir MV, as the statesman hailed from Muddenahalli in the same taluk, which later became a district, followed by technological college and training centre at the birth place, introducing the principles of Visvesvaraya as a subject for students of technology and also a chair at the University of Mysore.

Other two demands included four increments for engineers during their period of service and implementation of recommendations of sixth pay commission.

Honorary president of the association Shivanand Hoogar requested the government for financial assistance to complete engineer’s bhavan in Bangalore. Earlier, a procession was taken out from ‘Shilpi Nilaya’ to mark the day. Dignitaries offered floral tributes to the bust of Sir M V before the procession.

Grand nephew speaks

Westernised in sartorial elegance, true Indian at heart, and most important punctual.
This was how Sheshadri Mokshagundam, grand nephew of Sir M Visvesvaraya described his ancestor as, at the 151st birth anniversary organised by Karnataka Engineers Association.

Sheshadri, who is associated with DRDO-ISRO, Hyderabad, is the grandson of Sir M V’s uncle.

“A particular incident is still etched in my memory. The occasion was his (MV) 100th birthday and the whole of family had gathered to seek his blessings. In Telugu, our mother tongue, he advised all to work hard and study to come up in life”, recalled Sheshadri who became emotional at times.

He was always against attending marriages, deeming it as waste of time. The only marriage he attended and Sheshadri was witness to as a six year old boy was that of H Ramaiahs’ daughter’s wedding. Sir M V had a great respect for Ramaiah. However, he stayed only for a while. Though 90, he was full of energy walking straight from the car without anybody’s help.