NBU: Former VC denies charges of fund embezzlement
Posted by barunroy on May 9, 2008
SILIGURI, May 8: Reacting to the charges of financial irregularity made against him by a section of the North Bengal University Teachers’ Council recently, the former vice-chancellor of the institution Prof. Pijush Kanti Saha denied the charge and affirmed that everything related to the expenditure of university fund was above board.
“Some elements are trying to spread slander against me and other responsible officials of the university with malicious motives,” Prof Saha said. Co-accused in the charge, Mr Dilip Kumar Sarkar, the NBU Registrar refused to comment on the matter. “I would talk on the matter after taking permission from the vice-chancellor,” he said. Describing the demand for a special audit into the spending of fund under ‘confidential accounts’ as “illogical and absurd,” the former NBU vice-chancellor said that there was no provision for special audit into the ‘confidential account’ in accordance with the university law. “Internal audit was duly done in that matter as into every financial aspect of the university. Everything was found to be perfectly in order,” he said.
“The provision of ‘confidential accounts’ was not constituted during my tenure. It started operating during the tenure of my predecessor in 1999. Auditing of university funds is a crucial matter. The report would have to be passed by the university executive council, then by Senate and finally it has to be submitted to the state government. If the state government is not satisfied, it can institute an inquiry into it. Above all, the Comptroller and Auditor General, the apex financial probe body of the country, is overseeing the university auditing. No irregularity has been found concerning the ‘confidential account’. A section of the NBUTC is spreading canards,” Prof Saha averred. [The Statesman]
