185 illegal fixed deposit accounts: NUTA
Dimapur, August 13 (MExN): The Nagaland University Teachers’ Association today said it has detected more than 185 illegal fixed deposit accounts in a “certain bank” in Kohima. The illegal bank accounts amount to a whooping Rs. 500 crore, said the NUTA today citing information received under the Right to Information Act (RTI). Another new disclosure made against NU’s vice chancellor was that documents have shown the VC to have listed fake addresses for a Rs.109.45 crore project.
Under the RTI Act, the NUTA said in a note today, it has detected more than 185 illegal accounts of Fixed Deposit by the university, amounting to more than Rs.500 crore in a ‘certain bank’ in Kohima. “There is also documentary evidence of huge amounts kept in fixed deposits in other banks at Kohima. These illegal deposits are highly irregular and violation of financial regulations,” the NUTA said. The teachers have expressed strong objection to the financial corruption even while development activities remain stagnant in all three campuses under Prof. Kannan’s tenure.
It was stated that the VC has refused to release Rs.1.60 crore, stipulated to be utilized within August 2009, meant for construction of an international hostel and development of laboratories in SASRD, Medziphema. The Indian Council of Agriculture Research had granted Rs.10 crores to SASRD for the development works, NUTA informed. “Prof. Kannan had also refused to release Rs.9 lakh of research fund granted by the ICAR to the department of Animal Production Management, SASRD, for a piggery research project,” the teachers said.
Further, the NUTA disclosed that the latest scam in NU is the “DBT Mission for Quality Planting Material Productions and Utilization for the North East”, which is a project sanctioned by the Ministry of Science & Technology, New Delhi to universities and research institutes in each North Eastern state. For Nagaland University, NUTA said, the project was to develop planting materials, research and help Naga farmers with planting materials of banana, kiwi, ‘Khasi Mandarin,’ cashew nuts, big cardamom and edible bamboo.
This was to be done by the department of Horticulture at SASRD, Medziphema, which has a tissue culture laboratory as well as horticulture experts and researchers.
The NUTA cited documentary proof that the VC appointed himself the principal investigator of the Rs.109.45 crore project, giving his address as DC Court Junction, Dimapur, when he is stationed at Kohima. He has also given a false address of the Registrar of the university as DC Court Junction (in Dimapur) when the office of the Registrar of the university is at Kohima, NUTA said.
Further, documents available have shown an illegal memorandum of co-operation signed with the Entrepreneur Associates (EA), an NGO which the NUTA said has “no technical expertise for the project and no tissue culture laboratory.” The NUTA questioned the intentions of Prof. Kannan and his associates on what moral ground they have taken a project which is meant for academic research and development of Naga farmers.
The serious academic and financial scam is said to have come to light when a very senior official from the ministry visited Nagaland and inquired from the faculty of the University Department of Horticulture, SASRD, on the progress of the said project. The department faculty conveyed no knowledge of such a project. “In the meeting held later with Prof. Kannan at Kohima, the senior official conveyed his great displeasure and objection as to how the project was being done without the knowledge and involvement of the concerned department of Horticulture in the university, which has the required tissue culture laboratory and technical expertise to develop planting materials, train Naga farmers and give technical expertise for their production and marketing,” the NUTA said.
The VC is accused of already drawing Rs.10 lakh and another attempt to draw the remainder of the Rs.36 lakh of the first phase, without proper documents and details for the project. It was disclosed that the head in-charge, department of Biotechnology was asked to draw the said amount, even though he was not the principal investigator.
The NUTA has stated that it will not allow any more of such manipulation and corruption that the VC has been continuously destroying the academic growth of the university with. The NUTA appeals to the intellectuals and to all right-thinking people of Nagaland to come forward and help in cleansing this university from corruption. “We also appeal to all those who have been misguided by Prof. Kannan to think for the future of the younger generation of the state and the proper growth of this university,” the NUTA said.
