12 years on, Mizoram state museum still shut despite crores spent: CAG

Aizawl, Aug 31: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), in its report placed before the Mizoram Assembly during the recent Monsoon Session, has come down heavily on the State Art and Culture Department over the Mizoram State Museum project, which has remained idle for more than 12 years despite expenditure of several crores of rupees.

According to the audit, the Ministry of Culture had in March 2006, sanctioned a sum of Rs 3 crore as a one-time grant for the Rs 3.62-crore project. The amount was meant for construction of the museum at the Mizoram New Capital Complex (MINECO). The State Government was to meet the balance of Rs 62 lakh.

The Centre released the sanctioned amount between 2006 and 2017, and the administrative approval was accorded in March 2007, with the Public Works Department (PWD) executing the construction through a contractor at Rs 3.22 crore. Work began in September 2007 and was declared completed in October, 2012.

Yet, the building was handed over only in July 2019, almost seven years after completion, with no explanation for the long delay. A later review of records in 2021 revealed that the building had been designed without provision for interior furnishing or galleries, making it unusable for housing artefacts and antiquities. The department, in its response, admitted that the absence of galleries and showcases had rendered the structure unfit for a functional museum.

The CAG noted that the very objectives of the project – preserving cultural identity, safeguarding heritage, raising awareness on art and culture, and providing educational value – have remained unfulfilled.

“The contention of the Director that the Museum was completed in 2019 is not tenable as the Engineer-in-Chief of PWD had certified completion in October 2012,” the report observed, terming the delay a result of “incomplete design and improper planning”.

Refurbishment of the building has now been undertaken under the Smart City Mission. The Aizawl Smart City Limited signed an agreement with a contractor in November 2021, followed by a supplementary agreement in October 2023, for works including installation of galleries, electrification, air-conditioning, firefighting equipment, and flooring. The cost of these works has been pegged at Rs 3.92 crore. Though the revised deadline was March 31, 2024, the physical progress as of March stood at 92 per cent, while financial progress was only 60 per cent.

In April 2024, the CEO of Aizawl Smart City Limited admitted that the deadline had been missed but assured handover once the work was finished.

Meanwhile, the Director of Art and Culture complained of theft of electrical fittings, cables, air-conditioning units, and elevator components by miscreants, further stalling the project. He also argued that delays had been caused by late release of funds from the Centre.

The auditors, however, stressed that the failure lay in the State’s planning. Despite spending Rs 3.22 crore on construction and committing an additional Rs 3.92 crore for refurbishment, Mizoram is yet to put the museum to use. As a result, more than 18 years after the sanction was first made, the State Museum is still to be opened, with its intended role of showcasing Mizoram’s cultural heritage not being realised.