Shimla: The Local Fund Audit Committee of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly has sought accountability over the construction of the Theog College hostel, which developed serious structural defects just months after being handed over.
Built at a cost of around ₹2.71 crore under the Babu Jagjivan Ram Hostel Scheme, the building was completed in 2018 and handed over to the college on November 22 that year. By April 2019, cracks had appeared and the structure reportedly began tilting.
Technical inspections, including one by IIT Mandi, found several critical structural components, including columns, beams and slabs, to be unsafe. The building was subsequently declared unfit for use.
The committee, chaired by MLA Sanjay Rattan, questioned officials over the quality of construction, supervision and use of public funds. It also made it clear that collective decisions cannot be used to avoid individual responsibility.
Contractor to face action; ₹5 crore expenditure also under scrutiny
The committee has directed that the contractor’s outstanding dues of around ₹22 lakh be forfeited. This includes a ₹7 lakh security deposit and a ₹15 lakh final payment. It has also recommended that the contractor be blacklisted from government departments for two years.
Instead of repairing the unsafe structure, HIMUDA will have to construct a new hostel for 104 students at its own expense. A site near the college is to be identified within 30 days, followed by a geotechnical survey within 15 days. The proposed new building, spread over around 1,587 square metres, is targeted for completion by September 2027.
The committee has ordered an inquiry into around ₹5 crore spent on retrofitting and other works, directing that responsibility be fixed on both serving and retired officials and recoveries made according to rules.
Housing Minister Rajesh Dharmani said the government has received the Legislative Assembly Secretariat’s communication and is examining it. He said action would be taken according to the committee’s directions and accountability would be fixed.
The committee has also recommended making geotechnical surveys, slope-stability tests, independent design checks and third-party inspections mandatory for future HIMUDA projects.
The case has raised serious questions over construction quality and the monitoring of government-funded projects, particularly where public money is spent on buildings that become unusable soon after completion.
