The infrastructure enhancement in government schools in four central districts under the ₹1-crore assistance by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) has not yet gathered pace.
Buildings have been constructed only in eight schools out of the total 70 schools shortlisted for the ₹1-crore scheme in Alappuzha, Idukki, Kottayam, and Ernakulam districts, under the government’s action plan for elevating the status of the public education sector.
Though the project was sanctioned in 2019-20, bureaucratic and procedural delays affected its timely completion. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who chaired a zonal review of the developmental works in various sectors in the central districts on October 3, asked the district authorities to initiate steps to remove bottlenecks and speed up construction works.
According to official data, Ernakulam has completed four of the 25 projects under the scheme. Alappuzha and Idukki districts have completed two projects each, while Kottayam is yet to open its account. The target for Alappuzha, Idukki, and Kottayam is 24, 12 and nine buildings respectively. The construction of 26 buildings is progressing in the four districts, while work on 36 buildings has not yet begun.
Officials of the General Education department said preparatory works took at least a year. The Kerala Institute of Local Administration has to inspect schools ahead of formulating the design. The KIIFB has to vet the design and carry out the second round of inspection. The process of tendering the works and awarding of contracts would take more time, they said.
Though the project was launched three years ago, the pandemic resulted in the slowing down of construction works. The contractors, who had won the tender process, demanded a hike in project cost, saying that they would not be able to complete the construction of buildings at ₹1 crore each. The government issued a revised order in December 2022 and enhanced the project cost to ₹1.3 crore.
