Only on paper: A basketball court & a gym at Arki college

Arki Government Degree College is at the centre of an alleged financial scandal after it was revealed that Rs 11.81 lakh, sanctioned under the Utkrishta Mahavidyalaya Yojana for infrastructure development, had been embezzled. The amount was intended for constructing a basketball court and an open-air gym, yet neither facility has been built.

According to Solan SP Gaurav Singh, an FIR was lodged by the college principal at Arki. Upon assuming charge in August 2023, the principal discovered discrepancies in financial records from the 2021-22 session. The government had allocated Rs 1 crore to upgrade the college into an institution of excellence.

Records indicated that Rs 8,81,950 was spent on a basketball court and Rs 3 lakh on an open-air gym, with the payment made to contractor M/S Nandan from Mandi on March 19, 2022. However, physical verification confirmed that no such structures existed on the campus.

Investigations revealed the entire process, from project approval to fund disbursement, was completed in just 12 days in March 2022. A committee, comprising Dr Dinesh Singh Kanwar, Dr Ramesh, Dr Prem Pal, Ravi Ram, Dr Munish Kumar, Dr. Adarsh Sharma and Rajeshwar Sharma, approved the funds. The officiating principal at the time, Dr Jagdish Chand Sharma, sanctioned the payment, while Superintendent Grade-2 Chaman Lal handled the entire process.

The bidding process for the basketball court construction was conducted on February 22, 2022, with five companies participating. However, four were disqualified on flimsy grounds, leaving M/S Nandan Contractor & Supplier as the sole eligible bidder. The contract was awarded on March 9, and just three days later, on March 12, a completion certificate was issued—despite no work being done.

On March 16, 2022, based on this fraudulent certificate, the bill was presented to the Sub-Treasury at Arki, which processed the payment on March 19. Consequently, Rs 11,81,950 was transferred to the contractor’s account. The probe confirmed that a conspiracy between the college staff and the contractor led to the embezzlement of funds through forged documents.

The case exposes how corruption deprived the college of much-needed infrastructure at a time when financial constraints often hinder development projects. The police have registered a case of cheating and forgery at Arki Police Station, and further investigations are ongoing.