Financial, other irregularities during Prof Mattoo’s tenure
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, May 3: As a sequel to the directions of Governor N N Vohra, the Vice-Chancellor of University of Jammu, Prof M P Singh Ishar has set an exercise in motion to take action on the recommendations of the Chief Secretary-headed Enquiry Committee, which has unraveled financial as well as other irregularities committed during the tenure of former Vice-Chancellor, Prof Amitabh Mattoo.
Authoritative sources told EXCELSIOR that Prof Ishar has completely studied the report of the Chief Secretary-headed Enquiry Committee, which was constituted to probe allegations of administrative impropriety, favoritism and financial irregularities against former Vice-Chancellor Prof Amitabh Mattoo and other officers of the Jammu University.
The copy of the report was given to Prof Ishar by none else than Governor N N Vohra, who is also the Chancellor of the varsity, during the 72nd meeting of University Council held on April 23, 2012 with the directions to take all remedial measures and action on the recommendations of the Enquiry Committee.
The Governor had also advised the Vice-Chancellor to ensure that recommendations and observations of the Committee, which require special approvals, are placed before concerned bodies of University on time bound basis and entire report processed without any delay.
“I have gone through the report of Enquiry Committee and constituted a committee under my direct control to study each and every recommendation and observation from legal and administrative point of view”, Prof Ishar said when contacted.
Stating that all the recommendations will be placed before the internal committee very shortly, the Vice-Chancellor said, “we will take up recommendations one by one and accordingly initiate action on the same as directed by the Chancellor”, adding “I will ensure that all the recommendations or observations of the Enquiry Committee are followed in letter and spirit”.
“Certain observations made by the Chancellor on the report of the CS-headed Enquiry Committee during the JU Council meeting, would also be strictly followed in a time-bound manner”, Prof Ishar said in response to a question.
The enquiry into the allegations of irregularities in the financial and human resource management matters of Jammu University during the tenure of Prof Amitabh Mattoo was ordered by the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, who is also Pro-Chancellor of the Varsity, in the month of October last year after the Governor desired to get a detailed probe conducted into number of complaints received from different quarters in this regard.
The Enquiry Committee comprising Chief Secretary, Madhav Lal, as its Chairman and Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, B B Vyas, then Commissioner Secretary Finance, Sudhanshu Pandey and Commissioner Secretary Higher Education, Tanveer Jehan as its members submitted its report to the Chief Minister in the last week of December last year. Later, Mr Omar Abdullah submitted the report to the Governor for further action on the findings of the Enquiry Committee.
As per the report of the Enquiry Committee, statutes of the University were amended a number of times during Prof Mattoo’s tenure to give undue benefit to some individuals, who were very close to the then Vice-Chancellor. “Instead of paying attention towards getting best persons selected on some critical positions in open and transparent manner, the adhocism was promoted with the sole attention of benefiting ‘blue-eyed’ persons”, sources said quoting the report.
Citing an example of Dr Meenakshi Kilam, sources said that within a short span of two and half years she was promoted from Lecturer in Management to Director Internal Quality Assurance Cell by then Vice-Chancellor Prof Amitabh Mattoo.
“She was just member of the Cell and Lecturer in Management when Prof Mattoo joined as Vice-Chancellor but because of unknown reasons she was first promoted as Reader in the Management Department and then Director Internal Quality Assurance Cell with highest possible pay band and grade”, sources said, adding “even the eligibility criteria for the post of Director was fixed keeping in view the qualification of Dr Kilam”.
“Though all this was done with the approval of Jammu University Council yet it seems that clear picture was not projected in the meetings in which the agenda in this regard was placed and passed with the sole intention of accommodating Dr Kilam”, sources said, adding “besides the then Vice-Chancellor, even the then Registrar can also be held responsible for all this because instead of projecting true picture before the Council he remained mute for obvious reasons”.
“During enquiry it was also found that advances given to several officers and Professors were not settled for a very long period of time”, sources said while disclosing that Dr P S Pathania, the then Dean Students Welfare (DSW) and presently Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Central University of Jammu was an outstanding of Rs 8 lakh against the Jammu University when the Enquiry Committee submitted its report.
Similar was the case with several officers and Professors, whose advances have not been settled during the past quite long time.
According to the sources, the Enquiry Committee has stressed the need to fix the responsibility for the irregularities in the financial and human resource management affairs of the Varsity. It has also laid emphasis on need to revisit statues so that financial and human resource management affairs are streamlined for overall good of this institute of higher learning and protect its image.
The Committee has also suggested the need to get a special audit of some important aspects conducted in order to get the wrong doings corrected.
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