Faridabad: 5 years on, construction of nursing colleges remains a job half done

The project for providing nursing colleges to the district lies incomplete despite over Rs 42 crore being spent on the construction of the buildings that was taken up five years ago.

Delays due to changes, additions

• While an amount of around ~21.33 crore was already spent on the college at Dayalpur, funds to the tune of ~20.9 crore have been used in the construction of the building at Arua village.
• The need for the revised estimate of the budget arose after the changes and additions in the building plan that had been approved originally.
• Though the process of getting tenders for the revised budget had been over, the wait for approval from the head office is not over yet.

Work on the colleges coming up at Dayalpur and Arua villages in the district has been at a standstill for the past two years due to various factors, including the lack of administrative approval for an additional budget of Rs 9 crore each sought for the remaining work on the buildings, sources in the Haryana Shahri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) said.

The HSVP had taken up the project under the CM Announcement programme launched by the present state government in 2019. The colleges which were proposed to be ready within 24 months of time period got stuck due to problems like the release of the funds or payment to the contracting agency, Covid and delay in the approval for the release of revised estimates of the funds submitted to the state government, it was claimed.

While an amount of around Rs 21.33 crore was already spent on the college at Dayalpur, funds to the tune of Rs 20.90 crore have been used in the construction of the building at Arua village, according to officials concerned.

The need for the revised estimate of the budget arose after the changes and additions in the building plan that had been approved originally, according to sources. Though the process of getting tenders for the revised budget had been over, the wait for approval from the head office is not over yet. It was revealed that the budget of the project had been released by the Health Department which would be operating these institutions. The total intake of the students for the nursing course proposed to be started for the first time in the district has been around 600 per year in these colleges.

Similarly, the proposal to have a Government General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) and an Auxiliary Nurse and Midwife (ANM) college in Palwal district lies on hold despite the building being made ready three years ago, it was reported.

The building of the GNM college, inaugurated in August 2017, is being used by the Health Department. There has been no update regarding the commencement of the academic batch here, said Civil Surgeon Jai Bhagwan Jatain.

Ajit Singh, Executive Engineer, HSVP, said while the nursing college project was in the finishing stage, the department was awaiting the approval for the additional budget to complete the remaining works such as plumbing facilities, parking, provision of an approach road, lighting and carpentry work. This is likely to be resumed soon after the culmination of the state Assembly elections, he added.