A government girls college intended to serve students in Dukota and surrounding rural areas of Mailsi in Punjab has remained non-functional for nearly four years despite expenditure of Rs181.549 million out of an approved Rs189.08 million budget. The Government Associate College for Girls, Dukota, was approved on July 27, 2021, with its foundation stone laid on September 25, 2022, but the building has not been made available for academic activities.
Accounting for 96 percent of the approved cost, the spending has yielded no operational college. The partially completed building has deteriorated through lack of maintenance, with broken windowpanes and a reportedly stolen transformer that provided electricity. Local residents say the prolonged delay has particularly harmed girls seeking higher education, as they must travel around 20 kilometres to attend colleges in Mailsi, a distance that adds transport costs and places financial and social burdens on families.
Residents and parents interviewed expressed frustration about the loss of educational opportunities and questioned oversight of project completion and asset protection. Several families described how their daughters are either forced to travel long distances or abandon their education due to the lack of a functioning local facility.