Country's first NCC training academy in financial straits

The NCC Training Academy on the outskirts of Malout town in Muktsar district. A Tribune photo

Facing rough weather

• It is the country’s first NCC Training Academy for girls inaugurated on the outskirts of Malout in September 2012 by CM Parkash Singh Badal and then Union Minister of State for Defence MM Pallam Raju
• The bills submitted to the state government of nearly Rs 30 lakh in the financial year 2014-15 are yet to be cleared and those who supplied goods to this academy are making numerous rounds to get their money

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Malout, March 17

The country’s first NCC Training Academy for girls inaugurated on the outskirts of Malout town in September 2012 by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and then Union Minister of State for Defence MM Pallam Raju is facing rough weather due to financial constraints.

The bills submitted to the state government of nearly Rs 30 lakh in the financial year 2014-15 are yet to be cleared and those who supplied goods to this academy are making numerous rounds to get their money. However, the management of the academy has nothing to convey except sooth their nerves by repeatedly saying that the bills had been submitted in time to the state government, which was expected to be cleared within a short period.

However, with the current financial year about to end in a fortnight, the situation has turned worse to such an extent that the academy officials after facing continuous wrath of private suppliers have sent a junior commissioned officer (JCO) to the state headquarters in Chandigarh, so that the bills could be cleared within this financial year.

Sources told The Tribune that in the present financial year, the academy had purchased 400 mattresses, 400 cots, food warmers, inverters, deep freezers, tea campers and water campers, but the bills of these items were yet to be cleared.

Furthermore, the NCC academy, which at a time provides training to nearly 600 students, is not even having a reverse osmosis (RO) water plant. Though the Chief Minister had in principle approved a RO water plant for this academy in July last, it could not materialise due to the “shortage of funds”. As a result, the academy officials fetch purified water from the RO water plant of a nearby village.

At a time, a batch of nearly 600 students attends the training camp of 10 days here. The session begins in July and lasts till February in this academy. A senior official of the academy said it was not even having proper beddings for the students coming to get training here. “Students have to bring their own quilts, bed sheets, as the academy is not having such items. Even the mattresses were purchased a few months ago,” he said.

He said the proposal to purchase a large number of things required in daily routine was submitted a few months ago but the reply was awaited. The academy officials, however, praised the Deputy Commissioner and the local SDM for providing their maximum assistance.

A Beniwal, Commanding Officer, NCC Training Academy, Malout, too admitted the fact of shortage of funds, saying, “The academy is facing shortage of funds. The money is not being released on time by the state government. Since the last six months, we are running after the officials concerned to get the bills cleared. Now we have sent an official from the academy to the office of the Principal Secretary, Finance, so that the bills are cleared.”

“In the past, some correspondence has been done with the higher authorities in the state government but the district treasury office is yet to clear the bills,” Beniwal said.

However, Narinder Singh, District Treasury Officer, said, “The bills of nearly Rs 13 lakh are being cleared today as per the instructions of senior officials and the remaining too will be cleared in next few days.” He further claimed that the bills were not sent to the treasury office on time.

Courtesy: The Tribune