Patna: Laboratory construction has been completed in only 351 of 2,199 govt secondary and higher secondary schools in Bihar, prompting state education authorities to issue show-cause notices to the agencies concerned over the slow progress.According to a communique issued by the department on Sunday, Bihar Education Project Council state project director Navdeep Shukla found during a review on Oct 24 that RailTel had completed construction in 78 of the 1,055 schools allotted to it, while Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd (TCIL) had completed work in 273 of the 1,144 schools assigned to it. Work had not started in some schools, the review found.The laboratories for physics, chemistry and biology are being set up under the Samagra Shiksha scheme on a turnkey basis. TCIL has been assigned 20 districts and RailTel 18 districts.Expressing displeasure over the slow progress, Shukla directed both agencies to expedite the work and complete it within the stipulated deadline. Show-cause notices were issued to both agencies, while officials warned that penalties would be imposed if the targets were not met.RailTel has been directed to complete work in 518 schools and TCIL in 816 schools by Nov 30. The agencies must also supply the required furniture and equipment and hand over the laboratories to the respective headmasters.The project director also stressed the need to maintain construction quality. District education officers, district programme officers and Samagra Shiksha officials were asked to monitor progress regularly, coordinate with the agencies and resolve problems promptly. Engineers were directed to conduct field visits to ensure timely completion and quality of work.
