The struggling state exchequer has cast a shadow on completion of infrastructure for several proposed universities which chief minister Mamata Banerjee had announced in the past few years amid murmurs at Nabanna that the ruling party has decided to give priority to welfare schemes over any other projects.
A senior official in the know of things said the cash-strapped Bengal government was forced to put a stop on construction of campuses for at least six universities while allotment for physical infrastructure has been drastically cut for at least four other varsities .
The higher education department, during a recent virtual meeting, informed the public works department that construction of infrastructure in at least six universities — Alipurduar, Balurghat, Darjeeling Hill University at Mongpo, Guruchand-Harichand in North 24 Parganas, Mahatma Gandhi University in Tamluk and Rajarhat campus of Calcutta university — would be put on hold for an indefinite period, the source said.
“Construction work for most of these six universities hasn’t started yet.... In all likelihood, work on infrastructure will not take off any time soon because of cash constraints,” said the source while adding that the varsities were supposed to be built at a cost of about Rs 38 crore to Rs 50 crore each.
Although ongoing construction for four universities — Kurseong campus of Presidency University, Green University at Tarakeswar in Hooghly, Jhargram University and Kanyasree University in Nadia’s Krishnagar — will continue, the allotment for construction is likely to be drastically cut, the source added.
Sources in the education department said the drying up of funds would hit the ongoing projects like the Kurseong campus, which is almost 80 per cent complete.
“We hear that the revised deadline for the project is July, 2022. This means, no fresh funds are likely to be allotted for the project in the ongoing financial year,” said another source.
The picture is no different in the case of Jhargram and Green universities.
“In Jhargram, funds would be given to construct only the administrative building while construction of hostels, quarters, academic building and playground has been shelved for the time being…. In the case of Green University, only two floors of the academic building would be constructed instead of seven as allotment for the project has come down to Rs 40 crore from Rs 98 crore,” said an official.
Sources at Nabanna said the finance department was forced to cut allotment for several departments drastically because of lack of funds in the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic and launch of several welfare schemes in the past three-four months.
“All these projects were announced two years ago. But the situation has changed dramatically since March 2020 when a nationwide lockdown was announced. The state’s revenue generation fell drastically and the burden on the state coffers was doubled when a series of welfare schemes was launched after the elections. The welfare schemes require around Rs 20,000 crore annually,” said an official.
The situation is so grim that the state government is likely to abandon the Mahatma Gandhi University in Tamluk even though 80 per cent of its piling work is over, said a source.
“The ruling dispensation is very clear that welfare schemes are the priority as these win elections,” summed up the source.