LUCKNOW: Nearly four months after the Samajwadi Party government started distributing free laptops to students in line with Akhilesh Yadav ’s poll promise, over 4.4 lakh devices worth over Rs 830 crore still lie in government godowns exposed to dirt and rain water as the chief minister struggles to get time to distribute them himself. The chief minister has so far been able to distribute only 79000 laptops to students — a dream that was part of his 2011 election promise.

But seepage of rainwater into a godown in Lakhimpur Kheri last month, damaging 75 laptops, prompted the officials to get into a huddle to discuss storage and expedite distribution. Lack of storage space in districts and tehsils is a major concern, say government sources. "After the government tied up with Hewlett-Packard to supply laptops, the manufacturer was given a seven-month distribution period in which the computers had to be supplied. Their rate of delivery, however, far exceeded the rate of distribution. This led to a problem of plenty," said a senior government official.

At present, the HP facilities in the state capital have a storage capacity of over 2 lakh laptops. But with the existing inventory already touching optimum capacity, storage has become a challenge. The situation is worse in districts and tehsils where the facilities are ill-equipped to handle the monsoons. "If the laptops are not distributed soon enough, there is a possibility of damage to many more devices," he said.

But there is a bigger problem for distribution. The delay, the sources said, has been because of the chief minister’s busy schedule. Though the laptops were to be distributed in districts by senior ministers, the decision was changed. In the run-up to the parliamentary polls, the Samajwadi Party government wanted the laptops to be distributed by Akhilesh himself. As a result, distribution was put off due to the CM’s unavailability, the sources said. Now, an alternative plan is being prepared for distribution.

An official overseeing the distribution process, said, "Apart from the storing concerns, with computing gadgets, one also has to contend with technology getting obsolete. When the specifications for the laptop were sanctioned in 2012, it was regarded as state-of-the-art. But more than a year later, new products are beginning to hit the market."

There is also the worry about bad publicity if the devices were to malfunction. "Even if one laptop were to malfunction, it will mean a huge loss of face to the government," said a senior official.

