BHUBANESWAR: In a major embarrassment for Odisha Small Industries Corporation (OSIC) Limited, the Higher Education department (DHE) has decided not to award any work to the entity, a wholly owned corporation of the State Government, over its poor performance.
The department has even ordered quality check of one its classroom renovation projects in SCS Autonomous College, Puri by the OCAC. It has also scrapped administrative approval given to several other existing projects.
Officials said the OSIC in 2020 had proposed allocation work of government colleges to it citing that it has a dedicated construction wing comprising a superintending engineer, an executive engineer and other engineers and supervisors to take up such tasks.
Accordingly, the civil, PH and electrical infrastructure work of six prominent colleges -- BJB and Rajdhani in Bhubaneswar, SB Women’s and JKBK College in Cuttack and SCS Autonomous and Govt Women’s College in Puri were awarded to the corporation. The corporation was reportedly made the sole executing agency of infrastructure work in the colleges.
However, during subsequent review of performance it was found that the corporation neither has a system in place to attend regular maintenance work nor the capacity to take up any urgent repair.The SCS Autonomous College Puri informed the DHE that OSIC left the renovation work of smart classroom unfinished and the work was not done as per specification.
Rajdhani College also requested the department to assign some of the construction and renovation work to the R&B division instead of OSIC because of ‘inordinate delay’ on its part. The department has now scrapped the work order given to OSICL for construction of a boundary wall of SCS Talabani campus and construction works of Rajdhani college.
The ongoing construction of high-rises (hostels) in BJB College will also be referred to the Works department. Meanwhile, out of Rs 19.98 crore approved, the corporation has, in fact, submitted utilisation certificate for Rs 17.54 crore.