[ Bengia Ajum ]
ITANAGAR, 19 Jun: The National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Jote in Papum Pare district is in the spotlight, owing to allegation of corruption and poor infrastructure.
The students of the NIT are reportedly facing a lot of trouble due to poor infrastructure. They, along with social activist Payi Gyadi, have filed a joint FIR with the Special Investigation Cell (SIC), alleging corruption in civil and other infrastructure work at the NIT.
The students have sought investigation into the construction of the hostel buildings, the staff quarters, the football ground, and other infrastructure.
“Many of the buildings are partially completed and are left to rot. The condition of many buildings is very bad. The status of the physical and financial report should be compared with the original DPR. Physical investigation of the buildings should also be carried out,” they stated in the FIR.
The students have also alleged that electricity supply is inadequate, and have sought investigation “to check whether the power transmission scheme/project to the institute has been done as per the norms/DPR.”
Serious corruption allegation has also been made with regard to the North East Centre for Technology Application & Research (NECTAR) project and procurement of equipment for the local area network (LAN).
“The NECTAR project is a skill development project for the students of the institute. But this multi-crore scheme has gone invisible and its whereabouts is not known to the primary beneficiaries of the institute. Also, procurement of LAN equipment and computers were undertaken without following proper established procedures. This scam needs proper investigation,” the FIR read.
It further stated that the inadequate infrastructure will affect the future of the students.
“The programmes running at NIT Jote are all technology-based, but at present they are all running only in theory. Practical labs are ill-equipped. Also, many of the meritorious teachers have left the campus in recent years due to poor academic and residential buildings and lack of conducive atmosphere in the campus,” the students informed.
The students and employees of the NIT are somehow running the institute without adequate amenities like water supply, internet connection, electricity, hygienic toilet/drainage, playing field, properly quipped laboratories, central library, etc.
“The shocking and brazen conduct of officials in collusion with other parties to loot the institute should not be tolerated anymore. There cannot be any bigger crime than such acts of corruption in the educational institute. This is a fit case where suo moto FIR can be registered and immediate action can be started as per the law,” said Gyadi.
He also sought investigation into the role of all director(s)/head(s) of the NIT, past and present.
The NIT Jote started functioning from its permanent campus from 2020 onwards. Earlier, it had been functioning from a temporary campus in Yupia since 2010. In January 2020, its students had staged a protest, seeking shifting to the permanent campus. After the protest, the union cabinet approved the revised cost estimate of Rs 868.36 crore for completion of the infrastructure in Jote.
The work stopped in 2016 due to lack of fund.
NIT denies ‘malicious’ allegations
Meanwhile, the NIT authorities have denied the allegations.
Talking to this daily, an official of the institute termed the allegations “false, fabricated and malicious in nature.”
The official said that the delay in the infrastructural development is “because of the institute being in project mode and the Hindustan Prefabricated Ltd, a government of India undertaking, is on the brink of foreclosure.”
“Regarding the construction of the hostel buildings, we have approved intake of 1,040 students, as per the REC approved by the ministry, till the project mode of the institute is over,” the official said.
Since the institute is under project mode, the work for additional hostel has been foreclosed by the education ministry, and will be taken up after the completion of the project mode. Hence, three hostels are functioning with all amenities while one additional hostel is foreclosed,” the official said.
About the staff quarters, the official said that the prefabricated buildings are “not in function and deemed still under-construction as the Hindustan Prefabricated Ltd is going to be dissolved, because of which the work has been stopped.”
He said that the matter has been reported to the ministry. “The rest of the staff quarters are in function and utilised by the staffs of NIT,” the official said.
“The power supply work was awarded to the Yupia electrical division for a dedicated electrical power line. As on date, the work is completed as per the DPR, but the line is yet to be charged,” the official informed.
Further, the official claimed that “there is no anomaly in implementation of NECTAR and the project is running smoothly.”
“LAN cable project is being implemented as per the requirement of the institute; due process of tender through GeM has been undertaken; and the work is under progress. Also, all the laboratories are well-equipped and running properly, and a 200 KVA dedicated generator is kept in the academic zone,” the official said.
