Serious allegations of administrative negligence and potential collusion have emerged at Haryana Agricultural University (HAU) in Hisar, where a multi-crore solar greenhouse project lies in ruins six years after its inception. A staggering sum of Rs 6.37 crore was paid to a contractor who subsequently declared bankruptcy, leaving the research facility incomplete and raising major questions about the university's oversight and the bank's role.
A Project Mired in Delays and Alleged Fraud
The saga began with a proposal by the then director of research, Surendra Kumar Sehrawat, for constructing a 6,000-square-metre solar-powered greenhouse. The estimated cost was Rs 13 crore, intended for vital research by departments including Forestry, Horticulture, and Biotechnology. Funding was pooled from various university departments, with the Directorate of Research contributing the lion's share of Rs 10.99 crore.
In December 2018, Dehradun-based Atron Sol Power Private Limited (ASPL) won the contract for Rs 12.74 crore. By June 2019, HAU had set up a Letter of Credit (LC) with Dena Bank (now Bank of Baroda) to release Rs 6.37 crore upon Phase-I completion. Despite the university explicitly warning the bank not to release funds after the company missed deadlines, Dena Bank transferred the entire LC amount to ASPL on July 29, 2019. The work was never finished.
Administrative Inaction and Suspicious Lapses
Following the fund transfer, the university administration fell into a state of puzzling inactivity for nearly four years. Shockingly, even after the company was required to furnish a bank guarantee and failed to do so by July 19, 2019, no reminders or follow-ups were issued by HAU officials.
Adding fuel to the fire, while efforts to recover the Rs 6.37 crore were supposedly underway, the university sanctioned an additional payment of Rs 75 lakh to the same bankrupt company in February 2020 for a separate project. This move has significantly intensified suspicions of collusion within the university's ranks.
Frustrated by police inaction after a complaint was filed at Civil Lines police station in July 2023, the then director of research, S K Pahuja, approached a Hisar court on May 2, 2024. The complaint seeks an FIR for fraud against ASPL, its director Gaurav Singh, and Dena Bank. A recovery suit for Rs 6.37 crore with 12% interest is also on trial.
Official Response and Ongoing Legal Battle
When questioned, HAU Vice-Chancellor Prof B R Kamboj stated that the contractor firm had declared itself bankrupt. He emphasized that the matter is now sub-judice, and any future decision regarding the solar greenhouse project will await the court's verdict.
The case highlights a severe breakdown in procedural safeguards and financial oversight at a premier agricultural institution. Key questions remain unanswered:
- Why did Dena Bank release the LC amount despite HAU's written instructions?
- Why did university officials not pursue the missing bank guarantee for years?
- What justified the subsequent Rs 75 lakh payment to the same firm?
With the project in limbo and public funds squandered, the HAU solar greenhouse scandal stands as a stark example of alleged negligence and a test for accountability in India's public educational institutions.
