Ranchi: Two dental chairs, each worth Rs 15 lakh, were found gathering dust at the Dental Institute of state-run RIMS in Bariatu here on Tuesday, a waste of taxpayers' money.

A security guard, who declined to be named, said technicians had come to try and fix the chairs on the floor of the room 10 days ago.

The room, on the ground floor of the G+2 Dental Institute building and adjacent to the office of Jharkhand State Dental Council, looked dusty.

A dental nurse said the institute had 50 students whose classes were held on the first and second floor while the ground floor had an OPD wing for patients. The nurse also added the institute urgently needed proper attention.

"It is not running properly. The reception counter of the institute's central reception hall is being used to run a cafeteria. An electric heater is used to cook cafeteria food. No one checks misuse of electricity. There is no supply of potable water at any of the three floors of the dental institute, where the first batch of 50 students was admitted last year. Staff and student carry their own water. Equipment are not used or kept properly. In fact, many equipment purchased for the institute are still in their cartons," the nurse claimed.

Asked, principal of Dental Institute Pankaj Goel said he was busy counselling freshers before admission. Prodded about medical equipment at his institute, he hurriedly said, "All equipments are fine and are used properly. There is no problem. You come here after two days I will show you how we operating the equipment we have in the institute," he told this reporter.

Contacted, RIMS assistant director (administration) Harsh Mangla passed the buck to director R.K. Srivastava.

Director Srivastava, on his part, said he would take details from institute principal Goel.

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