Balangir, March 10: Rajendra College (autonomous), the oldest college in the west Odisha, is facing the problem of fund crunch.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has decided not to release its annual grant of Rs 10 lakh for the college, which has already been crippled due to staff shortage.
The commission has reportedly taken a serious view of fund being misused by the college authority and decided not to release the grant for the college. Students of the college have flayed the UGC decision over denial of the annual grant. College sources said the UGC had taken a serious view of an expenditure of Rs 3.65 lakh towards purchase of computers and laptops for the college, alleging that it was in violation of the UGC norms and guidelines.
The UGC has set certain guidelines as to what amount would be spent on movable and immovable equipment and infrastructure. When the college authority sent the utilisation certificate to the UGC, the commission took strong objection to the purchase of the computers and has stopped annual fund for the year 2013-14.
President of the Rajendra College Committee of DSO Madhab Meher said that by stopping grant, the UGC had pushed the future of the college to uncertainty.
“Instead of taking action against the erring college employees, who were involved in the case, it was unfair on part of the UGC to stop grant to the college,” Meher said.
Rajendra College has been getting the UGC grant after the college attained the status of an autonomous institution in 2002. There are certain guidelines by the UGC to spend the fund. Principal of Rajendra College Khitish Chandra Bhoi said he had received the letter from the UGC, which alleged that there had been violation of the guidelines while spending the grant of 2012-13. “We have received a communication from the UGC asking us to return the amount of Rs 3.65 lakh with 10 per cent interest. We have written to the government about the same, but the government has not yet replied,” Bhoi said.
Town residents here have sought stringent action against the then principal and employees during the tenure of whom the irregularities had taken place. Though some of the employees have retired from service, some still continue to serve in the college.