A copy of the Comptroller & Auditor General’s report listed ‘CA 2 of 2008’, has mentioned a number of central autonomous bodies in the country that have not yet submitted their annual accounts. Nagaland University, Kohima, is mentioned in the CAG’s report with five other autonomous bodies.
Nagaland University has not submitted its account from 2004-2005 onwards, the list stated. This is a lapse of four-year tenures. The university officials in concern could not be reached for comment or details regarding the latest status of the arrears stated by the CAG.
‘CBI may probe corruption in Nagaland University’
In a related matter, reports are surfacing after a disturbing lull about the possibility of the Centre calling in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate the number of alleged financial irregularities and mismanagement in Nagaland University.
These unconfirmed reports have surfaced amid a prolonged and disturbing “quiet situation” since the Ministry of Human Resource Development last November took the university teacher’s grievance to the office of the Visitor, the President of India.
The reports could not be confirmed at an official level, but there is a general consensus among highly-placed officials and those closely associated with the NU issue about the possibility that the CBI would be coming to Nagaland “to do some sniffing”.
Sources well-associated with the issue in the state’s only central university today said the CBI might be called in due to the “very serious nature of circumstances” and the extent of mismanagement in the institution. The CBI being called in to investigate graft in NU has also been a long-standing demand of the Nagaland University Teachers’ Association.
The source also pointed to circumstantial exigencies that things have been disturbingly ‘very quiet’ for some time now with little or nothing happening after the upheaval in the university that rocked the state last year.
Another source also informed that the Nagaland University Teachers Association is ‘still waiting’ for action from the Human Resource ministry. Further, according to the source, who is associated with the university, a response is expected by this January from the ministry over the application for information filed by the NUTA under the Right to Information Act (RTI).
The 30-days stipulation under which information has to be provided, under the RTI, will complete this month, and hopefully, the source added, concrete development on the issue would start surfacing. Referring to the ‘very quite situation’, another official of NU also expressed fear if the ‘lull’ suggested that the long-drawn NU issue would be shoved to the backburner this time again. However, to the query if any action has been taken against the NU officials as suggested by the ministry’s report to the President, the source said no action has been taken – or at least the NU teaching community has yet to know of any.
The source also added that the possibility of CBI entering the picture is not ruled out at all. Last year, Nagaland University fell to a crisis following the institution’s teachers taking to the streets, doing away with all academic functioning.
The agitation was sparked by the demand for the removal of NU Vice Chancellor Professor K Kannen and two top officials for alleged widespread financial irregularities and mismanagement.
Mention may be made here that, in November last year a central fact-finding inquiry had reportedly found Nagaland University guilty of financial irregularities.
According to The Telegraph and local media reports quoting top government officials, Union Education minister Arjun Singh had put his seal of approval on the fact-finding committee’s report.
The Human Resource Development ministry was reported as having ‘plans’ to approach President Pratibha Patil, the Visitor to Nagaland University, for disciplinary action and also against university officials named in the report, in the second week on November last year.
The media reports had also quoted a top government official as saying that “The central fact-finding committee has largely corroborated charges leveled by the Nagaland University Teacher’s Association earlier this year” and that “we are ready to press ahead with action against the accused”.