Mizoram government criticized for inaction on Rs 26 crore engineering college

Aizawl: In a scathing audit report, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has criticized the Mizoram government for allowing the state's first engineering college to remain non-operational for over five years.

Despite a hefty investment of Rs. 26 crore, the Mizoram Engineering College at Pukpui, Lunglei, has failed to open its doors to aspiring engineers, depriving local youth of crucial educational opportunities.The college, approved in 2014 under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), was completed in November 2018 and handed over to the state in February 2019. It was intended to offer a range of courses and serve as a research hub.

However, the CAG report reveals that the institution has remained idle due to the state government's inability to establish necessary teaching and non-teaching positions, secure funding for salaries, and provide essential infrastructure such as laboratory equipment, books, and basic utilities.The audit also uncovered financial mismanagement, with Rs. 85 lakh diverted from project funds in 2017 for unrelated road maintenance, lacking proper documentation.

Despite multiple funding proposals between 2019 and 2020, the state finance department rejected them, citing financial constraints.Although the state government informed the CAG in July 2023 of plans to allow Mizoram University to use the college as a temporary campus, the lack of infrastructure has stalled progress. As of March 2024, the college remains locked and unused.The CAG has urged the Mizoram government to take immediate action to complete the necessary work, create essential posts, and operationalize the college to ensure the substantial investment fulfills its intended purpose.