The future of the Centre of Excellence-Dairy Farm-cum-Training Centre being set up at Basal village in Una subdivision is in jeopardy after repeated attempts to award civil works contracts through tenders failed over the past nearly three years, while the construction cost of the Rs 44.12-crore project has escalated. According to the district Animal Husbandry Department, the state-of-the-art facility will feature robotic technology and house 200 high-yielding breed cows supplied in partnership with Denmark. The centre is intended to provide modern, scientific dairy management training to the local farming community while improving dairy practices across the region. Of the total project cost of Rs 44.12 crores, the state government is to contribute Rs 12.92 crores, while the remaining amount will be funded by the Centre.
A suitable plot measuring about 10 hectares was allocated for the dairy centre at Basal village in 2022. At the beginning of 2024, the State Animal Husbandry Department released Rs 3.5 crores for the construction of the boundary wall, a drinking water tank and installation of an electricity transformer. These works were completed by the HP State Industries Development Corporation. However, there has been no further progress in infrastructure development over the past nearly three years, and vegetation has since overgrown the walled site.
When contacted, Deputy Director of the Una Animal Husbandry Department, Dr Varinder Singh Patyal, said the sanctioned amount of Rs 44.12 crores had been transferred to the department headquarters in Shimla, while the Rs 3.5-crore tender for the boundary wall, water supply and electricity works had been executed by the head office. He said that, according to the information available to him, tenders for the civil works had been floated three times, but the mandatory minimum requirement of three bidders could not be met.
It is also learnt that, since the detailed project report was finalised about four years ago, the sharp rise in the cost of construction materials has contributed to the lack of bidders. Departmental sources said the Centre had asked the state government either to complete the project within the allocated funds or return the sanctioned amount.
Departmental sources also expressed concern over the department’s human resources, saying that while new infrastructure could be developed, manpower continues to shrink. The cattle population is increasing in line with rising milk demand, and so is the number of veterinary institutions and specialised services within the department. However, no additional staff have been sanctioned to manage these resources, raising concerns that even if the Centre of Excellence becomes operational, it may struggle to achieve its intended objectives.
