Crunch hour

Ranchi, March 5: The ambitious plan to set up a second extension centre of BIT, Mesra, in Santhal Pargana is staring at a year’s delay, courtesy a row over funds between the state and the deemed university authorities.

The proposed technical institute in Dumka was expected to start offering BBA and BCA courses in the current academic session (2008-09), but the programme has been stalled despite the state cabinet clearing Rs 23.76 crore for the project.

Problems cropped up when BIT sought an additional Rs 2.42 crore for the next two years against recurring expenditure for the proposed extension centre in Dumka.

Technical education director Arun Kumar said the state had promised the varsity a sum of Rs 40 lakh in two instalments during 2008-09 and 2009-10 academic sessions against recurring expenditure. However, a typing error in the proposal approved by the then Shibu Soren government led to the sanction of only Rs .4 lakh (Rs 40,000).

Upset BIT authorities have stepped up the demand to Rs 1.21 crore each year for the next two years and the state is yet to take a decision on the matter. “We will sign the MoU with BIT, Mesra, for the extension only after a few things are cleared,” Kumar told The Telegraph.

Adviser to the governor Sunila Basant is looking into the matter.

BIT, Mesra, vice-chancellor P.K. Barhai has, meanwhile, categorically said that they would show interest in setting up the Dumka extension centre only if the state provides them with the additional Rs 2.42 crore against recurring expenditure.

Barhai’s firmness is not unfounded. The institute has another extension centre in Deoghar, where bachelor of engineering courses are offered in four streams — electrical, electronics, computer and civil. The erstwhile government had sanctioned a total of Rs 39.17 crore to the deemed university for infrastructure development at the new centre.

“But the state is yet to release a whopping Rs 20 crore. If the funds are not cleared, we may have to stop admission at the Deoghar centre this year,” Barhai said. He said he would meet Basant and explain why BIT needed money against recurring expenditure in addition to the one-time grant.

The Dumka extension centre, for which BIT has also been promised 25 acres of government land, is the dream project of former deputy chief minister Stephen Marandi, whose political turf is Santhal Pargana. Though the centre is expected to start with BBA and BCA courses on offer, the varsity authorities also plan introducing MBA and MCA in the future.