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Sisodia orders probe in financial irregularities of 12 DU colleges
New Delhi Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Friday ordered a probe in the alleged irregularities in 12 Delhi University (DU) colleges which have not paid salaries to their teaching and non-teaching staff for months
New Delhi
Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Friday ordered a probe in the alleged irregularities in 12 Delhi University (DU) colleges which have not paid salaries to their teaching and non-teaching staff for months.
The probe by Sisodia — who is also the state education minister — was ordered on a day when the 12 DU colleges received their grant-in aid for the fourth quarter from the government and a day after teachers launched an indefinite university shut down to demand for their wages.
Sisodia questioned why colleges had not paid salaries to the staff for months despite the release of grants for the third quarter. “The non-submission of utilisation certificates seems to indicate financial irregularities. It seems like an attempt to avoid scrutiny and accountability. The Directorate of Higher Education is hereby directed to set up an enquiry committee – which should include senior account functionaries – to look into how the third quarter grants and existing surplus funds have been spent by these colleges,” Sisodia said on Friday.
This is not the first time the government has alleged financial irregularities in these colleges. Last year too, the government had alleged that a special audit sanctioned by them had revealed financial irregularities in these colleges indicating a “big fraud” and “ghost appointments”.
The 12 fully state-funded colleges in DU have been at the loggerheads with the Delhi government since 2019 over the formation of governing bodies and the delay in the release of grants leading to pending salaries of staff. The 10-member governing bodies in these colleges have people nominated by both the university and the Delhi government and are responsible for functions like appointments.
According to the government documents seen by HT, the government has released ₹82.79 crore under salaries sub-head and ₹9.50 crore under general sub-head as fourth installment of grant-in-aid by the government. Of the 12 colleges, the government has not released any fund under salary head for Bhagini Nivedita College and Maharishi Valmiki College of Applied Sciences. A government official said this was because the colleges had “unspent funds.”
Despite repeated calls and messages, college principals did not comment on the matter.
The present cycle of the crisis started earlier this week when Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA), after receiving representations from teachers of these state-funded colleges, announced a university-wide indefinite shutdown beginning March 11.
DUTA President Rajib Ray said they will hold a meeting on Saturday to decide on the further course of action.
“Though the fourth quarter grant has been released, there are still issues which need to be discussed like de-affiliation and the inquiry ordered into the government-funded colleges,” he said.
