Bhubaneswar, Dec. 12: The state government has failed to set up three training schools in Odisha to train its police personnel to fight the Maoist menace despite funds provided by the Centre.

Of the three police training schools - Bairi in Jajpur, Burla and Koraput - only one has become partially functional (Bairi) and the other two are yet to be established. Expressing displeasure over the tardy progress of the works, the Centre has stopped releasing funds to the tune of Rs 17.50 crore. This was revealed in the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) tabled in the Assembly last week.

At present, nearly 19 of 30 districts of the state have been hit by the Maoist activities. However, the state has no specialised formal training institute for armed police dealing. Even the anti-extremist training centre at Chandaka on the outskirts of the city was considered inadequate in view of the growing Maoist menace.

To bridge the gap in police training infrastructure, the state government had approached the 13th Finance Commission in October 2009 to sanction grants of Rs 70 crore for setting up of the schools. The Finance Commission had recommended the money under the state specific grants to be released during 2011-15 at Rs 17.50 crore per annum.

But, the Centre had laid one condition. The money would be released to the state each year subsequent to the state government's submission of utilisation of certificates and physical progress report to the Centre. In order to carry out the work, the state government had entrusted the construction job of the training schools to Odisha State Police Housing and Welfare Corporation Limited and procurement of equipment to the director-general of police.

However, the audit has found that the deficiencies in planning and delay in finalisation of land to set up the schools has resulted in setting up of only one such school at Bairi. It had become functional with partially completed infrastructure since December 2012. But, the other two were not functional as on in March 2016, the audit report stated.

A high-level monitoring committee, headed by the chief secretary, was also formed to approve and monitor action plan for utilisation of the Finance Commission grant. "But, the panel took nearly two years to finalise the land. Even after taking possession of it, there were delays in according administrative approval, commencement and execution of work," the report said.

The Centre had released Rs 52.54 crore at Rs 17.50 crore per year during 2011-14, while state government in anticipation of receipt of the central assistance released the remaining funds of Rs 17.50 crore for 2015-16 out of its new sources.

The director-general of police drew Rs 69.39 crore during 2011-15, while sanction for the remaining Rs 61.36 lakh lapsed.

But out of it, Rs 22.52 crore was spent by the corporation and Rs 4.15 crore on equipment. As these schools were not set up, some of these equipment and utensils got diverted to other training schools and the rest ones remained idle at the Biju Patnaik State Police Training Academy.

As the department could not furnish physical progress and completion certificates by March 31, 2015, the Centre did not release the balance amount of Rs 17.50 crore due for 2014-15. "Thus, the state was deprived of central assistance of Rs 17.50 crore," the report said.