| For its 12 offices, S&T deptt paying Rs 25 lakh annual rent | | Offices have been set up in rented buildings | | Bijay Charak
JAMMU, Oct 7: Instead of establishing its own buildings, Science and Technology department has been operating its 12 offices from rented buildings across the state and paying around Rs 25 lakh annual rent.
The state government had created Science and Technology as separate department decades back, but since then it has not created its own infrastructure in various districts, which is causing huge loss to state exchequer.
Well placed sources informed Early Times that the department has been paying around Rs 2 lakh as annual rent for each rented building, hired for its offices. "The department pays Rs 30 thousands for its Jammu and nearly Rs 20 thousands for its Kashmir office as monthly rent", the sources added, saying that for other offices, located in 10 districts, an amount of Rs 15 thousands per month was being paid for each office.
"These offices are at Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur, Doda, Kathua, Anantnag, Barmulla, Kupwara, Budgam, Leh and Kargil", he informed and added that so far the state government has spent crores of rupees as rent for hired accommodations.
Sources said, "It is very surprising that the department being monitored by a separate ministry in the state has failed to create its own infrastructure. The department has started construction of a building few years back at Bemina in Kashmir but the work is yet not completed."
Sources said the department had made a proposal to acquire land for office in Jammu district but same has not been done so far. "It is not only the department of Science and Technology which has hired buildings for its offices but some other government departments too have hired private buildings," said sources at Civil Secretariat.
When contacted, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Gulzar Hussain said that except Srinagar office, all other offices were running in rented accommodations. |
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