Ranchi, Oct. 4: Voices of dissent have emerged from the state’s academic circles over the state government’s “repeated generosity” to BIT, Mesra.
After pumping in more than Rs 100 crore in five years into the deemed university in Mesra, the state government is now preparing to shower over Rs 40 crore for the institute’s recently-opened extension centre at Deoghar.
The institute pumped in a mere Rs 83 lakh for the extension centre.
Technical education director Arun Kumar said the state government would be giving the money to the BIT.
With the Jharkhand government’s largesse for the Mesra institute never ending, academicians have started protesting. The technical education directorate has expressed its dissent over the repeated cases of “generosity” being shown by the state.
Sources said Kumar had recently written to the secretariat questioning the government’s move.
According to a March 2005 agreement between the state and BIT, the Deoghar centre would be handed over to the government by 2007-08.
A senior official of the science and technology department said: “This is like opening the state coffers for private parties. The government is expected to open engineering colleges at Chaibasa, Ramgarh and Dumka. Each would cost more than Rs 30 crore. Under such circumstances, is it advisable to give over Rs 40 crore to BIT, Mesra, for a mere extension counter?”
Of the Rs 40 crore, sources said, Rs 14 crore has already been given to BIT. The institute was also given 25 acres for the centre.
Department sources said that though the land was given three years ago, the institute has been operating out of a government building in Jasidih.
Officials also pointed out the other funds granted to BIT, Mesra.
Under a technical education programme called Teqip, funded by a World Bank loan, the state got Rs 30 crore. BIT, Mesra, received Rs 20 crore of this fund while the state’s engineering college — BIT, Sindri — got just over Rs 10 crore.
If that was not enough, the state government waived the repayment clause for BIT, Mesra. “The state government took the liability to repay the Teqip loan,” said an official.
Jharkhand government also coughed up over Rs 10 crore to BIT, Mesra, for a hotel management and catering technology course. Every year, about Rs 3 crore is being paid for staff dearness allowance. Besides, the welfare department pays for running the BIT’s polytechnic institute.