Rajiv Gandhi Petroleum institute remains a non–starter in Assam

Six years after the then PM Manmohan Singh laid foundation stone for the project, it is back to the drawing board; construction work at temporary campus too at sil’s pace

BY OUR STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, June 18: It can happen only in Assam.  At a time when classes in Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology located at Jais in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh are on in full swing, the construction work of a similar institute, the foundation stone of which was laid six years back at Sivasagar in Assam, has not started till today.

To add insult to injury, the Centre has now ordered a new detailed project report (DPR) for construction of a permanent campus after cancelling the earlier DPR. Even the construction work at the temporary campus is going at sil’s pace, with the authorities planning to start classes for some courses only now.

The then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, during his visit to Upper Assam in February, 2011, had laid the foundation stone for the Sivasagar branch of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology amid much fanfare — but the project has failed to take off till date.

This institute was proposed to cater to the requirements of blue–collar technicians for upstream area to meet the current gap in skilled set and to meet the anticipated demand for the oil exploration sector. In addition, the institute proposed to offer diploma/degree courses related to the petroleum sector students.

The State government had allotted 100 acres of land at Sivasagar for the institute. As the allotted land is low–lying, it required considerable earth filling and piling before commencement of construction activities, an official source said.

“This earth–filling and piling work was completed in April, 2014. But the work was further delayed due to 19 changes of Project Magement Consultant from EIL (due to poor performance, the contract was termited in September, 2013) and thereafter awarded to CPWD,” said the source.

The project cost was estimated at Rs 422 crore as per earlier DPR, including capital expenditure of Rs 235 crore, Rs 182 crore as Endowment Fund and Rs 5 crore as prelimiry expenditure.

Now construction work of a temporary campus of the institute has been started, but that too at sil’s pace.

After the inordite delay, the Union Petroleum and tural Gas ministry has recently ordered the institute to prepare a fresh detailed project report (DPR) for construction of the permanent campus of the institute.

Union Minister of State (independent charge) for Petroleum and tural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan had iugurated the Jais branch of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology in Amethi on October 22, 2016 in the presence of Union ministers — Smriti Irani and Prakash Javdekar. And since then, classes in this institute are going ahead full steam.

Meanwhile, even though the construction of the Sivasagar centre has just started, the authorities of the institute have planned to start classes for some courses at the temporary campus and the admission process has already started, the source revealed.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan jointly performed Bhumi Pujan for the institute at a function held at Rojabari in Sivasagar district last month amidst an enthusiastic crowd.

After that the pace of construction work of the temporary campus has slightly improved, the source added.

But only time will tell when the Sivasagar centre of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology will become a reality, because the project has returned to the drawing board and will start anew