M.B. Sajjan, honorary president of Gulbarga University Contract Employees Association, and Venkatesh Patel, member, Academic Council of the university, have alleged that University authorities have misused Rs. 98 lakh public funds and have demanded that the Governor order a probe.
Addressing a media conference here on Monday, they said that the money was drawn from the University bank account for clearing the dues to contract labourers as per the Minimum Wages Act and later the same amount was diverted to clear Provident Fund dues which was supposed to be paid by Wild Bird Securities and Maintenance Services, the agency that supplied manpower to the University.
As per the allegations they made, the manpower supply agency had PF dues to the tune of Rs. 98 lakh to the Employees Provident Fund Organisation. When the University, as principal employer, too failed to remit the dues, the Regional PF Commissioner wrote to the University branch of State Bank of India to pay the dues from the account of Gulbarga University. Acting upon the letter, the bank froze the University account. In order to release the account the University authorities made a resolution at the Syndicate meeting held on 02.02.2017 to pay additional money to the manpower agency for paying dues to contract workers as per the Minimum Wages Act. However, instead of using the money for clearing the dues of contract workers, the university authorities paid a sum of Rs. 98.26 lakh to the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation to clear PF dues of the agency.
“It is a clear case of cheating and money laundering. Money was drawn for paying workers, but used for clearing manpower agency’s PF dues, leaving the labourers unpaid,” Mr. Sajjan said.
He alleged that Gulbarga University Vice-Chancellor S.R. Niranjana, Registrar Dayanand Asgar and Syndicate members and the manpower agency hatched a conspiracy to safeguard the manpower agency by misusing University funds.
“The contractor labourers had lodged a complaint with the labour officer in 2011 seeking additional payment as per the Minimum Wages Act. Mr. Siddappa, the labour officer, ordered the University to pay additional Rs. 5 lakh to 130 contract labourers. The University has not paid it even 5 years after the order. But, in this case, Rs. 98 lakh is released within 15 days to protect the manpower agency. Mr. Siddappa is now advisor to the University and upon his advice these financial irregularities have been committed,” Mr. Sajjan said.
Mr. Venkatesh Patel said that he would approach the Anti-Corruption Bureau and the High Court seeking a thorough enquiry into the financial irregularities.
