Himachal Pradesh: Arki Government Degree College is at the centre of an alleged financial scam after it was discovered that Rs 11.81 lakh sanctioned under the Utkrishta Mahavidyalaya scheme for infrastructure development was embezzled. The amount was meant for building a basketball court and an open-air gym, yet none of these facilities were built. According to Solan SP Gaurav Singh, the FIR was lodged by the principal of the college in Arki. After taking charge in August 2023, the principal found discrepancies in the financial records of the 2021-22 session. The government had allocated Rs 1 crore to make the college an institution of excellence. The records showed that Rs 8,81,950 was spent on the basketball court and Rs 3 lakh on the open-air gym, which was paid to Mandi-based contractor M/s Nandan on March 19, 2022. However, physical verification confirmed that no such structures existed on the campus. The investigation revealed that the entire process from approval of the project 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 then acting principal Dr Jagdish Chand Sharma approved the payment while superintendent grade-2 Chaman Lal handled the entire process. The bidding process for the basketball court construction was held on February 22, 2022, in which five companies participated. However, four were disqualified on flimsy grounds, leaving M/s Nandan Contractor & Supplier as the only eligible bidder. The contract was awarded on March 9 and the completion certificate was issued just three days later on March 12 despite no work being done. On March 16, 2022, the bill was presented to the sub-treasury at Arki on the basis of this fake certificate, which completed the payment process on March 19. As a result, Rs 11,81,950 was transferred to the contractor’s account. The investigation confirmed that the money was embezzled through forged documents due to a conspiracy between the college staff and the contractor. The case highlights how corruption deprived the college of much-needed infrastructure at a time when financial constraints often hamper development projects. The police have registered a case of cheating and forgery at Arki police station and further investigation is underway.
