Posted on: June  29, 2007

Ranchi, June 28: Has the state government opened its coffers for a private college at the cost of its own engineering institutions?

A rough estimate from the state science and technology department suggests that BIT, Mesra, a private institution, has secured about Rs 80 crore from it since the inception of the state.

Besides, crores have been realised by the institution from the welfare, agriculture and other state departments.

Sources in the state government told The Telegraph that state’s coffers were opened in 2001. After BIT, Mesra, committed an increase in seats and 50 per cent reservation for local students, the state government agreed to give the institution Rs 24.05cr over the next five years.

“A new engineering college could have been opened at this cost. The MoU was initially for five years but BIT, Mesra, is set to use the infrastructure in the future, too,” said a bureaucrat.

The state government stopped giving funds to Jamshedpur-based National Institute of Technology after it was declared a national institution. However, the institution is facing problem of electricity and water. Same is the case with Dhanbad-based central institution, Indian School of Mines, which is finding it difficult to get additional 20 acre of land for expansion. The state government has also allotted Rs 3cr to DAV group for a proposed engineering college in Daltonganj. Another Rs 6cr is yet to be released.

Under the World Bank-sponsored technical education quality improvement programme, the state’s engineering institutions (private and government) were supposed to get Rs 30 crore.

“Of this, BIT, Mesra, got about Rs 18 crore. BIT, Sindri, got Rs 12 crore only. Government polytechnics in Dumka and Ranchi got around Rs 1 crore each,” a top official confided.

The government has released about Rs 15cr for the extension of BIT, Mesra, in Deoghar. However, the project meant to start classes in 2006-07 is yet to kick off.

The one complaining the most against the government partiality is state engineering college — BIT, Sindri.

“We could not maintain our 500-acre plot housing administrative, residential and other structures due to paucity of funds. We get about Rs 10cr annually from the government that is spent in salary, TA and DA of the staff,” said BIT, Sindri, director S.K. Singh.

“Our laboratory instruments, infrastructure and libraries have turned obsolete. But we still maintain 100 per cent placement in 10 undergraduate and 5 post-graduate departments,” said Singh.

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