Rs 4.24cr project in ruins, ITI Boali overrun by weeds and insecurity

Silchar: More than a decade after its foundation stone was laid, the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in Boali under Sonai assembly constituency of Cachar district remains incomplete and overtaken by neglect.
On Feb 4, 2014, the foundation stone for the ITI was laid in the modest village of Boali, approximately 20 km from Silchar. Despite an allocation of Rs 4.24 crore under the Directorate of Employment and Craftsmen Training (DECT), Assam, the project has yet to be completed.
Reports said Nazrul Islam, the then Assam minister for the minority development department, officiated the foundation-laying ceremony alongside other ministers and legislators, aiming to enhance technical and vocational education in this underprivileged region.
"As of now, only a portion of the ITI's structure has been built. Over the years, the site has been overtaken by dense weeds. Workshops and hostels remain unconstructed, boundary walls are incomplete, and the institute lacks basic utilities like electricity and water," lamented a villager on Saturday.
The foundation stone plaque was only recently uncovered after clearing the thick weeds that had concealed it. Local educator Kailash Goala, who donated 25 bighas of land for the ITI, passed away a few years ago without seeing his dream realised.
"The building looks like an abandoned ruin. It has become a refuge for drug addicts, with liquor bottles and banned cough syrup scattered around. Villagers are increasingly feeling unsafe," said a local resident.
Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary recently informed the assembly, in response to a query from Sonai MLA Karim Uddin Barbhuiya, that 55% of the ITI's construction has been completed.
Silchar: More than a decade after its foundation stone was laid, the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in Boali under Sonai assembly constituency of Cachar district remains incomplete and overtaken by neglect.
On Feb 4, 2014, the foundation stone for the ITI was laid in the modest village of Boali, approximately 20 km from Silchar. Despite an allocation of Rs 4.24 crore under the Directorate of Employment and Craftsmen Training (DECT), Assam, the project has yet to be completed.
Reports said Nazrul Islam, the then Assam minister for the minority development department, officiated the foundation-laying ceremony alongside other ministers and legislators, aiming to enhance technical and vocational education in this underprivileged region.
"As of now, only a portion of the ITI's structure has been built. Over the years, the site has been overtaken by dense weeds. Workshops and hostels remain unconstructed, boundary walls are incomplete, and the institute lacks basic utilities like electricity and water," lamented a villager on Saturday.
The foundation stone plaque was only recently uncovered after clearing the thick weeds that had concealed it. Local educator Kailash Goala, who donated 25 bighas of land for the ITI, passed away a few years ago without seeing his dream realised.
"The building looks like an abandoned ruin. It has become a refuge for drug addicts, with liquor bottles and banned cough syrup scattered around. Villagers are increasingly feeling unsafe," said a local resident.
Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary recently informed the assembly, in response to a query from Sonai MLA Karim Uddin Barbhuiya, that 55% of the ITI's construction has been completed.