Bhawanipatna: The industrial training institute (ITI) has been running temporarily at the Kalahandi district headquarters town here since the past two and half years as the state government is yet to construct the permanent campus at the proposed site in Dharmagarh. Former chief minister Naveen Patnaik had laid the foundation stone for the ITI at Dharmagarh in virtual mode ahead of the 2019 elections. The Skill Development and Technical Education department also gave its administrative approval for the establishment of the ITI at Dharmagarh. The approval clearly mentioned the setting up of the ITI campus in Dharmagarh at a plan outlay of Rs 9.50 crore. This inordinate delay sparked resentment among the locals as the requisite land for the institute had been identified and funds sanctioned for the infra.
Sources said that the district administration identified the land for the purpose alongside Biju Expressway in Ward no-13 of Dharmagarh town. The Superintending Engineer of Works department also floated a tender (tender notice-327/2021- 22) for the construction of the ITI. The revised plan outlay was estimated at Rs 8,17,06,234 and a contractor qualified the tender at 3.30 per cent less than the amount. Following the agreement with the contractor, former MLA Mousadhi Bag participated in the Bhoomi Puja rituals and construction works began at the Dharmagarh site, November 24, 2021. The construction was scheduled to get over in 18 calendar months, i.e by May 23, 2023.
However, though the deadline for construction has expired, the authorities are yet to lay a piece of brick at the site, reports said. And in the absence of infra, the ITI institute has been functioning at Bhawanipatna since the last two and half years. People are now hopeful that the present BJP state government will help build the ITI at Dharmagarh. Meanwhile, when contacted, Principal Shiba Prasad Samantaray of ITI, Dharmagarh said very soon the construction works will be taken up at the Dharmagarh site, while enrollment of students at the institute has started.