Delay in setting up IIT infra doubles cost

Delay in building permanent infrastructure for the eight new Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), a plan approved in 2008, has resulted in an whopping escalation of cost and the Centre now has to spend nearly double the estimated amount.

The Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry has sent a proposal to the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) to increase the allocations for the establishment of these IITs from Rs 760 crore each to over Rs 1,500 crore, according to official sources.

On July 17, 2008 the Union Cabinet approved the setting up of eight new IITs in Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Orissa, Gujarat, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Indore in Madhya Pradesh at a total cost of Rs. 6,080 crores (Rs. 760 crores per institute).
Out of the eight new IITs, six commenced their academic session in Bhubaneshwar, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, Patna, Jodhpur and Ropar in 2008-09 while the remaining two started operating in Indore and Mandi in 2009-10. All of them began functioning from temporary campuses.

The plan was to shift them to permanent campuses within a period of six years as the Central funds earmarked for this purpose was worked out on the cost estimation done for this period only.

“It was the states concerned which first contributed to the delay in the implementation of the plan. Some of them took a lot of time in allocation and transfer of land to IITs for establishment of permanent campuses of the institutes,” HRD Ministry sources said.
Functioning from their temporary campuses, IITs in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan had to wait for over two years for allocation and transfer of land, even as the HRD Ministry kept on requesting them to speed up the process.

Delay in finalisation of master plans for construction of permanent campuses was another reason. “Even after the land was allocated, some of the IITs were yet to finalise the master plans for construction of their permanent campuses.

“All these factors consequently delayed the entire plan of shifting, leading to escalation of cost,” sources added.