NABARANGPUR : Even as the State Government had in 2015 announced to set up a Government engineering college in Nabarangpur, the project is gathering dust. Apparently, the Government has not yet provided a land commitment letter to the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) as a result of which, the college is yet to see the light of day.
Following a suggestion by the State Higher Education Task Force, the State Government had agreed to set up a Government engineering college under Rashtriya Uchhatar Sikhya Abhijan (RUSA) with one-time funding of `13 crore. The announcement was made by the then Employment & Technical Education & Training Minister Sanjay Dasburma. One of the major objectives of setting up Government engineering college was to facilitate students of the backward region to take up technical education at an affordable cost.
Under the RUSA scheme, the MHRD had to contribute 65 per cent of the total funds and 35 pc of the cost was to be borne by the State. After the approval from the Chief Minister’s Office, the State Government submitted a proposal to the Centre and it was approved.
Since then, two years have passed but there has been no development in this regard. Sources said the State Government has not yet sent the land commitment letter for the engineering college to the MHRD.
Local MP Balabhadra Majhi, who has been demanding establishment of the college in the district for the benefit of rural students, said the Skill Development and Technical Education Department that deals with opening of engineering colleges in the State does not have any details about this project. “Ideally, the budgetary provision for the proposal was supposed to be made in last year’s RUSA budget. When I enquired in MHRD, the officials told me that the State Government has not yet committed to alienate land for the engineering college in Nabarangpur,” he added.
However, Collector Rashmita Panda said the administration had sent its land commitment letter to the department in 2015 and also earmarked 20 acres of land for the proposed engineering college.