BANGALORE: The recent Works Committee meeting at Bangalore University (BU) has given a new turn to the ongoing Kolar Postgraduate Centre fiasco. Now, the Head of Department of Civil Engineering Dr H N Ramesh will issue the work order with new rates to the contractor, superseding University Engineer N Putta Swamy.
Speaking to Express, the university Vice-Chancellor Dr N Prabhu Dev, who chaired the Works Committee on Monday, said, “The university engineer has failed to issue the work order for all these months. It has been decided that the civil engineering HoD will now issue the orders for the work. It is an internal arrangement.”
According to the sources, members present at the Works Committee expressed dissatisfaction with the University’s Engineering Division for the delay in the Kolar PG centre. “Four months after the work began, the University Engineer changed the site without permissions. Further, the same contractor was supposed to be given work orders with new rates. Instead, the contractor was asked to continue work as per 2007 rates. This was highlighted in the meeting,” sources said.
Registrar (Administration) B C Mylarappa, who visited the Kolar PG Centre in Mangasandra village with ten Syndicate members in November last year, concurred with the developments at the meeting. “The University’s Engineering Division was accused of negligence of duty, for the delays caused in the Kolar PG Centre and other developmental works in the university. For now, only the administrative block has been constructed at Kolar,” he told Express.
While Dr H N Ramesh refused to comment citing jurisprudential restrictions, University Engineer N Putta Swamy was unavailable for comments.
“The Kolar PG Centre and infrastructure of hostels will be placed in the forthcoming Syndicate meeting,” said Prabhu Dev.
The Syndicate meeting is scheduled to be held on February 22.