Shivnagar college project stuck in limbo for 5 years

A half-constructed four-storey building of Government Degree College at Shivnagar, nearly 30 km from Palampur, today stands abandoned, wrapped in wild bushes and neglect. The project, once launched with much fanfare, has been in limbo for five years as the Public Works Department (PWD) left the work midway citing non-availability of funds.

The foundation stone of the college was laid in 2019 by former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, during the BJP regime. However, the idea itself dates back to 2016, when the then Congress government led by Virbhadra Singh first announced it. In 2018, the Jai Ram government sanctioned Rs 5 crore and issued technical approval, paving the way for construction of a four-storey academic block. As per the tender, the project was expected to be completed in two years.

But the promise of bringing higher education closer to the children of the Changer area in Kangra district has remained unfulfilled. Students continue to travel long distances to Palampur or Dharamsala for college education, as the Shivnagar project lies frozen.

According to information obtained by The Tribune, the PWD has already spent Rs 4.40 crore of the sanctioned amount. After the change of government in 2022, no fresh funds were released. The remaining cost of construction, estimated at Rs 1.5 crore, is still pending. The department currently holds only Rs 26 lakh, an amount far short of what is required.

Unable to continue, the contractor invoked the “foreclosure clause” in the award letter and abandoned the project midway. The PWD is now scouting for a new contractor, but without assured funds, the prospects remain bleak.

Official sources confirmed that a detailed project report (DPR) worth Rs 1.5 crore has been submitted for administrative approval to cover pending works and electrical installations. However, no funds have been released for the past two years, leaving the fate of the project hanging in balance.

For now, what was meant to be a hub of education for a neglected region is nothing more than an unfinished structure — silent testimony to political announcements, bureaucratic hurdles and broken promises.