25-day deadline to construct BU's Kolar PG centre

Bangalore University (BU) has directed contractor, S Shivaraju, to complete construction of its postgraduate (PG) centre at Kolar by March 15.

The BU Engineer, Puttaswamy N, issued a fresh work order on Wednesday to Shivaraju to complete the construction of the PG centre, “to the full satisfaction of the university”, within 25 days.

The fresh work order has been issued at current Scheduled Rates (SR), 2011-12 plus 2.5 per cent above the tender premium. Puttaswamy directed Shivaraju to immediately start the work after obtaining necessary instructions from the Assistant Executive Engineer, BU.

The work order was issued a while after BU’s highest decision-making body, Syndicate, authorised Puttaswamy to do so.

According to Registrar (Administration) B C Mylarappa, the university would be paying Rs 84 lakh more than the previous amount at which the contract was issued. Shivaraju was earlier given the contract to construct the PG Centre’s administrative block at Rs 11 crore.

Work on the PG centre had been dragging on for long, ever since the contractor stopped it last year, demanding more money. The former registrar (Administration), R M Ranganath, had issued a work order at the increased cost, without the consent of the Syndicate.

With a few members opposing the move, the matter turned controversial, and the internal bickering within the university establishment came out in the open. The work order was subsequently cancelled and construction stopped, inconveniencing the students who were forced to study in a dilapidated building. 

Students’ protest

Wednesday’s meeting witnessed a protest by students from the Kolar PG centre. They condemned the delay in completion of the PG centre, and sought an inquiry by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). They also demanded that the construction resume immediately. Mylarappa received a memorandum from the students, and promised that the construction would be completed “very soon”.

At the meeting, Vice-Chancellor, N Prabhu Dev, proposed that Ramesh H N, the head of the university’s Civil Engineering Department, issue the work order. Members, however, opposed it, and stressed that only the university engineer should issue the work order. Later, it was resolved to ask Puttaswamy to issue the work order.

Other decisions

The Syndicate also resolved to accept the recommendations of the works committee to revise the estimates of the university hostels. An amount of Rs 1.52 crore have been sanctioned for creating basic infrastructure in all hostels. The decision to spend about Rs 34 lakh on new toilets has been put off.

A retired Chief Engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD) will probe the reasons for delay in completion of eight under-construction buildings at BU’s Central College and Jnanabharathi campuses. Syndicate members will chair the Local Inspection Committees (LICs) for inspection of colleges for granting them affiliation or renewing the old one.