Imphal, May 06 2009: A balance deposit fund of Rs 6330.82 lakh is with the Technical Promotional (TP) Cell which the Manipur government has recently decided to abolish as an engineering cell of the state tribal development department.

A meeting of the Work Advisory Committee of the TP Cell under the chair of the state Chief Secretary, Rakesh has been called on May 7 to discuss on the fund deposited with the cell by various department upto April 17, 2009 and present status report of the engineering cell, official source said today.

A cabinet meeting of the Secular Progressive Front government under the chair of the chief minister, O Ibobi Singh held on April 29 last has decided to abolish the engineering cell observing that the cell could not maintain standard of the work and considering the poor performance of the cell as a construction agency.

While taking the decision, the cabinet also decided to withdraw the funds deposited with the cell by various departments which works has not yet commence and handed over to other engineering cell.

In the follow up action to the cabinet decision, state finance department has worked out the funds deposited with the cell by various departments for construction purposes.

As per a compiled report of the department, a total amount of Rs 6958.30 lakh have been deposited with the engineering cell till the year 2008-09 .

Out of this total amount of 6958.30 lakh deposited, the cell utilized Rs.627.48 lakh only leaving a balance of Rs 6330.82 lakh.

Before 2004-05, various departments deposited Rs.1336.96 lakh, Rs 1251.91 lakh during 2004-05, Rs 1947.94 lkahs during 2005-06, Rs 273.67 lakhs during 2006-07, Rs 908.62 lakhs during 2007-08 and Rs 1238.30 lakhs during the year 2008-09 .

The TP Cell has to earned Rs 616.17 lakhs as agency charges from this deposited amount and Rs 190.56 lakhs as construction charges while the department spend Rs.182.29 lakh in paying salaries and other officer expenditure.

Cabinet has decided to abolish the cell on estimating the poor performances and lack of quality control on the construction works of the government offices and other structures after thoroughly analyzed to its performance in the pass year, official source said.

With the decision, departments which their departmental construction works deal with the TP Cell have been asked to release all the funds for the works with half completion at the earliest so as not to create any problems while abolishing the cell.

Another reason behind the government decision related with the cell is not a register as engineering cell and not functioning with official who could fix the responsibility for any works they handled, source said.

Government specially chief minister, O Ibobi Singh was not satisfied with the working of the TP Cell in the infrastructure development for the establishment of the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Science which is commented that it was not upto the expected standard.

Mention may be made that the state government is on hectic effort to commenced the session of the proposed state medical college from this current year and with this development of infrastructures at the presently standing JN Hospital, Porompat in Imphal east.

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