In Punjab, crores spent to buy ‘excess’ chairs even before polytechnics were built

According to the CAG report, the procurement was done under the Centre’s nationwide scheme, ‘Sub-Mission on Polytechnics’. In 2009, seven districts in Punjab were identified for setting up new polytechnics under the scheme – Barnala, Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib, Kapurthala, Mansa, Muktsar and Nawanshahr. “Accordingly, GoI released central assistance of Rs 70 crore (Rs 56 crore for civil works and Rs 14 crore for M&E) between July 2009 and June 2016, leaving a balance of Rs 16.10 crore for the purpose,” the report read.

The desks/chairs were received in March-April 2014 and 540 each were marked for the seven polytechnics. However, the excess 2,268 desks and chairs lay idle or were used for unintended purposes in the polytechnics for more than eight years, the CAG has observed.

From March 2007 to 2017, the SAD-BJP government led by Parkash Singh Badal was in power in Punjab. In March 2017, the Congress government led by Amarinder Singh took over the reins.

In 2009, the chief engineer (buildings) of the state public works department worked out the estimated cost of civil works for all seven polytechnics at Rs 130.41 crore (Rs 18.63 crore per polytechnic) to construct a four-storey main building and workshop, meeting the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) norms. However, in January-February 2010, the department began construction work on single-storey buildings (with a foundation for additional three storeys) and the workshop for seven polytechnics with the available funds of Rs 56 crore (i.e. Rs 8 crore per polytechnic). This work was completed by 2013-14 for Rs 59.43 crore, the CAG report says.

In the meantime, in November 2011, the department notified five courses with an annual intake of 60 students per course, per polytechnic.

However, in November 2012, the AICTE, considering the available infrastructure, approved only two courses with an annual intake of 60 students per course per polytechnic from the 2012-13 session, initially in mentor institutes (second shift) for two years, and thereafter, in newly constructed polytechnics. The requirement of funds to build the remaining storeys escalated to Rs 115.29 crore by October 2015 due to time overruns, the report says. All this was during the SAD-BJP government’s tenure.

However, even in 2022, the polytechnics remained incomplete for want of additional funds from the Punjab government. The institutes continued to run two courses from the partially constructed buildings with an annual sanctioned intake of 15-60 students per course. After observing that the construction was not being done as per AICTE norms and the lack of an undertaking from the government or department on further construction, the Centre did not release balance funds of Rs 16.10 crore. In November 2016, the Centre instead asked the department to refund the already released central assistance of Rs 70 crore along with interest, if any. The subsequent action of the department was awaited as of November 2022, the report points out.