Vice-chancellor of Allahabad University Prof Rattan Lal Hangloo has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the office of the President to draw their attention to financial irregularities worth crores of rupees at the university before he took over as VC in December 2015.
In his letters (dated July 31) to the PM and joint secretary to the office of the President, the VC has pointed out how some of the teachers got their salaries fixed in violation of rules and how loans and advances taken from the university were not returned by some teaching and non-teaching staff.
On July 17, he also wrote to the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) seeking a special transit audit since 2005, when AU became a central university, to identify the people behind the bungling.
The VC has alleged that people with vested interests were responsible for disturbances on the university campus. Prof Hangloo said these people had been lodging complaints against him with the union ministry of human resource development (MHRD) to block his efforts to ensure financial discipline and accountability at the university.
The VC said the university had prepared a three-volume evidence-based report to establish that the allegations and complaints were baseless and fabricated.
“This (evidence) can be provided to you whenever needed,” he said in the three-page letter having nearly 150 pages of annexure.
Prof Hangloo had left his term as VC of Kalyani University in West Bengal midway to take charge of AU on December 30, 2015.
This is perhaps the first time when a VC of a central university has formally reported financial bungling because of a “systemic failure and policy paralysis due to various corrupt practices”.
The VC said when he took charge at AU, the university was directionless and there was no system of financial accounting and accountability.
Seeking the attention, support and guidance of the PM and the President, Prof Hangloo said he was making sure that all works (academic, financial and administrative) were carried out in accordance with rules and regulations.
Talking to HT, Prof Hangloo said, “Huge financial irregularities have been committed over the years at the university. Within a few weeks of taking over as the VC, I ascertained the situation and initiated reform measures to take the institution forward in a positive direction.”
“People with vested interests tried to put obstacles in the maintenance of discipline at the university. They manufactured student’s protests and planted baseless, fabricated and unfounded complaints against me,” he said.
In October 2016, the MHRD had asked for a few clarifications from Prof Hangloo regarding allegations of financial, administrative and academic irregularities against him. The VC has replied to the queries.
[“source-hindustantimes”]
