*Despite commitment, P&DD fails to release adequate funds
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Aug 2: At a time when enough focus is laid country-wide on transforming the students into well trained and highly motivated Engineers and Technocrats by providing them all necessary and advanced facilities, Jammu and Kashmir is laying foundation of huge technical manpower on feeble ground.
This can be gauged from the fact that all the 18 Polytechnic Colleges sanctioned by the Union Human Resource Development Ministry way back in 2008-09 have yet to get proper infrastructure including own buildings and sufficient machinery/ equipment necessary in imparting technical education.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that in order to create trained skilled manpower of at least 500 million persons across the country by 2020, the Union Ministry of Human Resource and Development in the year 2008-09 decided to support the State Governments for starting polytechnics in un-served and under-served districts. The sanctioning of colleges was found imperative in view of inadequate initiatives coming from the State Governments and private bodies.
Accordingly, 18 Polytechnic Colleges were sanctioned for Jammu and Kashmir under HRD Ministry sponsored scheme titled “Submission of Polytechnics under Coordination Act Plan for Skill Development”. These colleges were to be established in Doda, Kathua, Kishtwar, Poonch, Ramban, Reasi, Samba and Udhampur districts in Jammu province and Anantnag, Bandipora, Baramulla, Budgam, Ganderbal, Kulgam, Kupwara and Shopian districts of Kashmir valley.
Under this scheme, one-time financial assistance of Rs 12.30 crore for each Polytechnic College was earmarked for civil works and equipment, machinery and library etc. It was categorically stated while sanctioning of funds that land would be provided by the State Government free of cost and State would meet 100% recurring expenditure and non-recurring expenditure beyond Rs 12.30 crore.
Initially, the concerned authorities of the State Government failed to timely identify the land for construction of buildings of Polytechnic Colleges and thereafter, they failed to vigorously pursue the Union HRD Ministry for release of funds, sources said while disclosing that due to the slackness of the concerned authorities the release of funds started only in 2009-10 and accordingly the construction activities began.
In the absence of own buildings, these polytechnic colleges started functioning from rented accommodation or from the idle Government infrastructure from 2012-13 Academic Session with the hope that adequate infrastructure would come up within the stipulated time-frame. However, despite lapse of five years (since release of funds), none of these Polytechnic Colleges could get own buildings mainly because of the slackness of the Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation Limited (JKPCCL) as during the execution of works the cost of civil works escalated beyond Rs 8 crore earmarked by the HRD Ministry, sources informed.
When this issue was discussed at highest level in the State, it was decided that the Planning and Development Department would be approached for release of Rs 5 crore in respect of each Polytechnic College so as to ensure their completion without any further delay, sources said, adding though the Planning and Development Department made commitment about release of adequate funds but till date the same are awaited and buildings of Polytechnic Colleges are yet to be completed in all respects.
“In the absence of own buildings, the concerned authorities found it appropriate not to purchase machinery/equipment required for providing quality technical education to the students”, sources said, adding “this decision was wise enough as placing machinery first at rented accommodation and then moving to new buildings would have been fraught with the danger of causing damages”.
Sources disclosed that in the absence of own buildings the students of these Polytechnic Colleges don’t have up to the mark facilities including the hostels. “In this way, Jammu and Kashmir is laying foundation of vast technical manpower on feeble ground as highly trained and qualified manpower cannot be created in the absence of facilities required for impacting quality education”, sources regretted.
“Like other departments, the Government should have thought of providing separate engineering wing to the Technical Education Department so as to facilitate it in timely completion of buildings as Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation Limited is not answerable to Technical Education Department”, sources suggested.
It is pertinent to mention here that some of these colleges are functioning in DIETs, old DC Office Complex, ITI Hostel Buildings, rented accommodation, old Women College etc.
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