HRD Ministry’s Panel to Speed up IIT Construction Process

Image Source: iir.ac.in

In order to avoid cost escalation and to ensure that the work is completed in the given period, the government of India is planning to set up a system to monitor the on-going construction of new IITs in the country.

As per sources, the HRD Ministry is planning to hire a panel of chief engineers to keep track of the work progress and quality of the construction of these IITs. In June this year, the cabinet approved a revised cost estimate of these new IITs that had doubled due to schedule lagging and subsequently crossing the estimated cost.

A senior official mentioned that the revised estimates will be for the duration of 11 years from 2008-09. He also mentioned that the cost of construction more than doubled, from INR 6,080 Crore to INR 13,990 Crore for IITs at Ropar, Mandi, Patna, Jodhpur, Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar, Indore and Gandhinagar.

The cost escalation issue was discussed at a meeting of the IIT council and as per sources, the HRD ministry informed the council that they are in the process of setting up a monitoring system as decided by the cabinet.

The source said that the HRD ministry wanted to ensure that there are no further lapses and thus created a system for constant monitoring of the construction. In the case of any issues or shortcomings that arise, it can be indicated to the ministry.