Pampore: Nine years have passed since work began on the District Institute of Education Training (DIET) for Pulwama district in Pampore. But work has been stalled for more than a year now and the building complex is far from completion.
The official cost estimate for the construction of the complex was about Rs 4.5 crore. The project, executed by the Roads and Buildings (R&B) department, was supposed to be completed within a period of three years.
The work, however, moved at a snail’s pace since the beginning. “But we expected it to be completed, even if in a delayed manner,” a teacher in Pulwama district told Kashmir Reader.
The slow work came to a complete halt more than a year ago and now there seems to be no sign of resumption of work.
“We have been using a cramped room in the local higher secondary school, here in Pampore, for the purpose the building was meant to serve. It is a pity that the government takes issues related to education so casually,” a teacher from Pampore area said.
Sources in the R&B department told Kashmir Reader that work on the project had moved smoothly for a couple of years in the beginning, after which the funds starting drying up.
“That, in turn, made the work erratic. The delay has caused a cost escalation and because of it, the work has been stalled,” the sources said.
Officials in the R&B department maintain that a fresh Detailed Project Report (DPR) has been submitted to the government and hopefully the report will get a nod.
“The cost escalation was a major issue and hence a new DPR was necessary. We hope it is cleared by the authorities sooner than later,” an R&B official said, requesting Kashmir Reader to not publish his name for he was not authorised to talk to the media.

Suhail A Shah