The All Nagaland College Students’ Union (ANCSU) on Friday warned the Nagaland state Government that they would launch an agitation, if the delay in construction of the 100-bedded girls’ hostel at Kohima Science College (Autonomous) is not resolved within a week.
Addressing media persons, ANCSU president, Kivika Yeptho expressed serious concern over the prolonged delay in implementing the REC-funded project for the construction of a 100-bedded girls’ hostel.
He said that despite the approval of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding amounting to Rs. 3,52,68,650 and the release of the first installment of Rs. 1,05,80,595 on April 12, 2023, the project has not taken off.
He said the State Government, IDAN Department and Higher Education Department, acting as the Project Implementing Committee, had planned to upgrade the hostel into an international standard facility through a joint funding arrangement. Under this proposal, the State Government was expected to provide Rs. 2,47,31,350, raising the total estimated cost of the project to Rs. 6 crore, he added.
However, he alleged that no adequate measures were taken over the past three years to ensure timely execution of the project.
He disclosed that the proposal for the construction of the girls’ hostel was submitted by the IDAN Department to RECL under CSR funding on October 6, 2022, with an estimated cost of Rs. 3.5 crore. RECL approved the proposal on March 14, 2023, sanctioning approximately Rs. 3.53 crore, while an MoU was signed on March 23, 2023. The first installment was subsequently released on April 12, 2023.
He further informed that a meeting held on April 27, 2023 resolved to implement the project under Engineering, Procurement and Commission (EPC) mode using prefabricated structures for faster completion. Following this, the e-tendering process was initiated, with the Notice Inviting Tender published on August 3, 2023, and a corrigendum issued on August 24, 2023.
On October 25, 2023, the IDAN Department requested RECL to permit direct implementation of the project while proposing to upgrade the hostel into an international standard facility with additional financial support from the Government of Nagaland, he said.
Later, a contractor nomination proposal was submitted to RECL on February 6, 2024, which subsequently received official approval.
During meetings held in 2024, the ANCSU president said it was found that the sanctioned amount was insufficient for constructing a prefabricated international standard hostel in the hilly terrain, leading to further delays. As a result, the IDAN Department sought an 18-month extension from RECL on February 5, 2025, which was later granted till February 2026.
In a meeting held on March 18, 2025, the Detailed Project Report (DPR) prepared by the contractor estimated the total project cost at Rs. 6 crore, while the CSR-sanctioned amount remained at Rs. 3.53 crore. The concerned department therefore sought the remaining Rs. 2.47 crore from the Government of Nagaland as the state’s share.
Despite repeated correspondence and follow-ups with RECL, the project could not commence due to insufficient funds and the pending approval of the state government’s share.
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Yeptho pointed out that the project remains time-bound under RECL-CSR guidelines, with the extended completion deadline fixed for February 2026. According to him, the REC-CSR donor company has now initiated an official request for refund of the sanctioned amount.
He further stated that it had submitted representations, memorandums and several reminders to the concerned departments, the State Government and the Higher Education Minister, but had only received repeated assurances over the years.
ANCSU president also stated that the matter has reached a critical stage, with the IDAN Department reportedly preparing to refund the sanctioned amount originally allotted for the hostel construction.
Highlighting the significance of the project, Yeptho noted that the majority of students at the college are female, while the institution currently has only one girls’ hostel with a 100-bed capacity that has been accommodating students for many years.
While acknowledging the vision of the State Government and the concerned departments to develop an international standard facility, he questioned what concrete steps had been taken during the past three years to initiate the project originally proposed for hostel construction.
He maintained that the sanctioned Rs. 3.53 crore should be utilized for the construction of the girls’ hostel to provide accommodation facilities for female students.
The ANCSU president also claimed that it had recently appealed to the Chief Secretary to intervene and request the REC company for a further extension so that construction work could begin. However, he said it was verbally informed by the Chief Secretary’s office that the government was not in a position to convince the company because of the prolonged delay.
The ANCSU president stated that the delay mainly resulted from the decision to upgrade the hostel into an international standard facility, which created a funding gap after the DPR estimated the total cost at Rs. 6 crore. Although the IDAN Department had reportedly received verbal assurance regarding the additional Rs. 2.47 crore from the State Government, the government later conveyed that it was unable to sanction the amount, he disclosed.
Yeptho also informed that the IDAN Department had requested ANCSU to wait while DPR-related preparations and other procedures for the upgraded hostel were being completed.
Appealing once again to the State Government and the concerned department, he urged them to immediately begin construction of the girls’ hostel at Kohima Science College.
He cautioned that if the issue is not addressed at the earliest, the student community would not remain silent. He further warned that if the matter is not resolved within a week of the press conference, the union would issue an ultimatum and launch agitation and protest.
