LAGATAR24 NETWORK
Dumka, May 4: The SKM University (SKMU) administration has been under the scanner for not safeguarding its financial assets from theft and misappropriation as the annual audit of the university funds has been pending over the last five years which otherwise is the prime responsibility of the Finance Officer (FO).
The situation persists even though the state government and the Rajbhawan have taken strong exception to the indifference from part of the SKM University towards ensuring the audit work on various occasions.
Notwithstanding the prevailing ‘inefficiency’ from part of the FO Ajay Kumar Ram who according to reliable sources has been availing extra-statutory financial benefits and facilities causing an additional financial burden to the university’s coffer. The SKMU Vice-Chancellor (VC) Sona Jharia Minj was generous enough to grant him an extension for six months period on October 28, last year through a resolution of the syndicate.
Conspicuously the proposal for the extension of Ram’s tenure as FO did not figure in the agenda of the aforementioned meeting of the syndicate despite being more important than those figuring in the same and was tabled at the eleventh hour on such behest of the VC herself.
As of now when Ram’s extended tenure is all set to complete on May 9 the move of the SKMU administration to fix May 7 as the date of convening the syndicate meeting is being viewed in the same backdrop as neither the JPSC nor the Rajbhawan has come forward yet with such directive as to appoint the FO afresh.
University sources said that Ram had been availing the patronage of none other than the VC herself, has throughout the last four and a half years serving as the FO of the SKMU availed extra-statutory benefits in terms of availing contributory provident fund and other facilities like conveyance etc to which he is not entitled to.
“Last but not the least the FO Ajay Kumar Ram often remains off from the University headquarters without even officially taking leave,” remarked a university official preferring anonymity.
However when it comes to the genuine financial claims of the teaching and non-teaching employees including those having retired subsequently during the tenure of the incumbent FO he is in the habit of sitting on the files for a long to which the VC turns a blind eye.
“Nearly one hundred and fifty teachers having retired after January 1, 20216, remain deprived of the payment of arrears against the difference of pension amount of the sixth and seventh pay packages despite been sanctioned by the state government as the bill was not timely sent to the treasury by the,” said Nand Kishore Singh, the general secretary of the SKMU retired teachers association (SKMURTA) adding that there were many retired teachers in dire need of money for being critically suffering from different ailments and fulfilling their financial obligations.
The situation of the non-teaching employees and retired ones are made to face due to the indifference of the FO, is even grim.
“The non-teaching employees of the SKMU have been severely victimised in terms of not being paid the sixth and seventh pay packages as the state government has made it a point not to go ahead with their pay fixation without the completion of the pending audit of subsequent years” pointed out an office-bearer of the non-teaching employees association adding that there were also such instances of non-teaching employees having died for non-payment of retirement benefits and pension due to the lackadaisical attitude of the FO.
The SKMU VC meanwhile didn’t take the call for her version over the allegations being levelled against the FO or for that matter the university administration at large.
