[ Junroi Mamai ]
ITANAGAR, Feb 4: The Higher & Technical Education (H&TE) department has informed that it plans to start the academic session of the state’s first law college, in Jote, within this year.
The department had in January advertised the posts of principal and librarian for the college.
H&TE OSD (Academic) Joram Muthu informed that, while construction work on the college building has been completed, it will take about four months to fit it with water supply connection.
“The total number of staff, including teaching and non-teaching faculties, is 21. Recruitment for the post of principal has already begun, while the recruitment process for about 12 ministerial staffers will be completed by June-July this year,” he said, adding that representatives from the Bar Council of India assessed the progress of the project on 27 December last year and have submitted their technical report.
Besides the Arunachal Law College, another important project coming up in the state is the engineering college in Toru, work on which has been delayed for too long.
The project was approved in 2014-15 by the State Project Directorate (SPD), Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA). A fund of Rs 3.25 crore was also released by the Centre during 2016-17 to the department as first installment for the project.
Initially, the engineering wing of the SPD-RUSA had been entrusted to undertake the project, but in 2016-17, the task was handed over to the PWD. Fund was also transferred to the PWD by the department the same year. Till now, the Centre has released nearly 60 per cent of the fund, with the second installment released recently during the current fiscal.
Citing various reasons for the inordinate delay in the establishment of the engineering college, officials of the H&TE department stated that the project suffered because of unstable political situation during the initial years. Progress was, however, unsteady even after the state government revived the project.
The officials stated that the department on several occasions sought the status report on the project from the PWD but there has been no response.
“We have in the past also written to the (Papum Pare) deputy commissioner and the Sagalee ADC to direct the PWD to start construction of the college. Sadly, there was still delay,” said an official.
According to another official of the department, the fund allocated for the project is also insufficient.
“The total estimated cost of the project, as per RUSA scheme, is around Rs 26 crore. However, if the project has to be taken up as per the master plan, the total cost of the project would exceed Rs 100 crore,” the official claimed.
Meanwhile, authorities have informed The Arunachal Times that land development for the project is presently underway and construction of the college building will tentatively begin this month.
