HRD seeks CBI probe into public fund ‘misuse’

NEW DELHI: The Union human resource development (HRD) ministry has sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into alleged “irregularities and wasteful expenditure” in the construction of the National Institute of Technology, Manipur, officials with knowledge of the matter said.

NIT Manipur was established in 2010 along with 10 other NITs, which are considered “institutions of national importance” alongside the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

According to an official, the construction work started at NIT Manipur in 2011 at an approved cost of ₹250 crore. The NIT, located at Langol Hills, however, breached the ₹250-crore limit and a a revised proposal was put up before the ministry’s expenditure finance committee in May last year, according to the official.

The ministry then formed a panel to visit the campuses of all the NITs that had submitted revised estimates. The panel, which visited NIT Manipur, raised questions over the manner in which crores of rupees of public money were spent when the suitability of the site, said

THE MATTER ALSO REACHED THE PMO WHICH MADE IT CLEAR THAT ACCOUNTABILITY NEEDED TO BE FIXED

another government official familiar with the matter requesting anonymity. The committee was of the view that the Central Public Works Department, which was entrusted with the construction work, had not gone into the details of “site complexity” , said the first official. The site was created by filling in marshy land.

Expensive lab equipment purchased by the NIT lay unused , the panel observed in its report.

The panel called for an inquiry so that responsibility can be fixed for the “lapses”. It also insisted that the suitability of the site needs to be reassessed because of the problem of waterlogging.

A project monitoring unit (PMU) of the HRD ministry also visited the site and recommended an audit of expenses incurred on the creation of facilities on the site, according to the second government official cited above.

The ministry promptly requested the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG)to conduct a special audit, the official added.

Meanwhile, the matter also reached the Prime Minister’s Office which made it clear that accountability needed to be fixed in case there had been negligence in the management of public funds, the first official said.

The first official said NIT Manipur director, Goutam Sutradhar, had after taking over last year reported about possible diversion of funds. Sutradhar also observed that the quality of construction, carried out by a state government agency was poor with cracks being noticed on the walls and the floors.