State Higher and Technical Education Minister Uday Samant, who visited Pune on Thursday to review ongoing work on the state-of-the-art Teachers Training Academy in the city, pulled up authorities for the delay in completion of the work, which started in 2014. The academy is going to come up at the premises of the Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education (MSBTE) building. The work has been going on for six years and there has been a considerable increase in the project cost, despite which the work has not been completed, said the minister. He pulled up the contractor and project management consultant over the issue. An eight-storey structure, including parking, is to come up on the premises, which will house both the academy and the MSBTE office. A canteen, residential facility, three VIP rooms for foreign delegates, and a contemporary studio will also be set up in the same premises. Of the Rs 20 crore cost estimate for the project, Rs 13 crore has already been disbursed. Samant said the Teachers Training Academy is expected to be inaugurated by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on December 1.
