Srinagar, May 20 (KNO) : Despite elapsing more than seven years, the school education department is yet to complete the construction of the girls’ hostel approved by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) in 2012. The hostels were approved under erstwhile Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) scheme for educationally backward blocks (EBBs) of J&.K.
As per the official figures, 68 girls hostels including 39 in Kashmir, 24 in Jammu and 05 in Ladakh were supposed to be constructed by the education department for the girls students enrolled in high and higher secondary classes in school of backward areas.
An official said the construction on the hostels is going at snail’s pace due to which the executing agencies hired by the department have hired several deadlines in completing the projects. “Out of 68 hostels, construction on only four in Jammu division has been completed so far while as rest are incomplete and work on some of the hostels is yet start,” the official told KNO.
The official said the hostels were approved in 2012-13 by MHRD but given the delay in execution of works, the department could not continue the construction due to cost escalation. “Later the previous regime in 2015 surrendered the project and got it approved at revised project cost from MHRD. The hostels were approved at revised cost two years ago by MHRD,” the official said.
He said the project cost, as per the revised cost, for each girls’ hostel was approved at Rs 1 crore. “But despite getting the project approved at revised costs there is no development in construction of the hostels. We are heading towards missing another deadline this year,” the official told KNO.
The official said the department has released the funds to the executing agency-Roads and buildings department, but the pace of execution was dismal. “The department is not following the construction work on these hostels. The executing agency has to be made accountable for this inordinate delay in completing the projects,” the official said.
State Project Director (SPD) Samagra Shiksha, Arun Manhas said the construction on girls’ hostels has not stopped in any of the areas. “The construction is going on at all locations and we are hopeful to complete it by the end of this year,” he said. (KNO)