{
  "id": 7034315,
  "title": "How Bihar’s MGCU campus cost jumped Rs 488 crore in six months amid tender splits, missing records",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/13/how-bihars-mgcu-campus-cost-jumped-rs-488-crore-in-six-months-amid",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-13T01:15:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/patna/how-bihars-mgcu-campus-cost-jumped-rs-488-crore-in-six-months-amid-tender-splits-missing-records-10875629/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The cost of constructing Mahatma Gandhi Central University's (MGCU) permanent campus in Motihari has skyrocketed from Rs 850 crore to Rs 1,338.83 crore within just six months, according to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). This shocking figure represents an increase of approximately Rs 488.83 crore, or nearly 58 percent. The CAG audit report, spanning April 2023 to March 2025, identified several lapses and irregularities that contributed to the cost escalation.\n\nOne major issue is the delay in finalizing the Detailed Project Report (DPR), which is crucial for estimating project costs and timelines. The CPWD initially estimated construction at Rs 850 crore and sought Rs 1.25 crore for the DPR. However, when the DPR was submitted to the university on May 30, 2025, the construction cost had jumped to Rs 1,338.83 crore. The university administration informed auditors that the matter is being reviewed with the concerned department.\n\nThe audit also uncovered several instances of tender violations, where identical works were split into smaller contracts below the threshold for open tendering. In one case, two of the three participating agencies were technically disqualified, leaving only one qualified bidder. The audit questioned why competitive bidding was bypassed in this manner.\n\nFurther, the report flags irregular expenditure on repair and maintenance work, amounting to Rs 86.42 lakh, alongside an excess payment of Rs 3.35 lakh. Additionally, the audit found missing work orders, agreements, and completion certificates for multiple projects. Various seminars, workshops, and conferences held during March 2024 amounted to Rs 58.45 lakh in costs. However, the audit noted that an integrated plan was not prepared, and the events were submitted separately, leading to inconsistencies in procurement and transparency.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": "The rapid escalation of the MGCU campus cost reveals deep-seated project management issues, including tender irregularities and missing records, that likely enabled contractors to gain at the expense of public funds.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}