The state Public Works Department (PWD) has clarified that it has taken the possession of the Block A of the newly constructed Industrial Training Institute (ITI) building at Baijnath in Kangra district after releasing the partial pending payment to the contractor, an official spokesperson said on Tuesday. The spokesperson said that the contractor handed over the possession of Block A to the PWD after receiving the part payment. However, Block B was still in his possession, as around Rs 3 crore payment was still outstanding.

The contractor had recently locked Block B in protest against the delay in the release of the pending dues, bringing the payment dispute into the spotlight. Although Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had inaugurated Block A in 2024, the institute had not been able to commence full-fledged academic activities as the contractor was yet to hand over the possession of a large portion of the building to the department.

The spokesperson said that the Technical Education Department was making efforts to release the remaining payment to the contractor so that he could hand over the possession of Block B without further delay.

He expressed hope that the issue would be resolved soon, paving the way for the complete transfer of the ITI building and its full utilisation for academic purposes.