Audit objections proof of rules breach: Tiruvalluvar University staff

Interacting with the media, he said that the audit objections revealed that the university flouted rules on a regular basis. While no bills were submitted for the Rs 32.35 crore withdrawn earlier, the audit also suspected that bills submitted for another Rs.71 crore for purchase of tables, desks and chairs, could be bogus, he added.

In addition to an ill-maintained property register, the varsity had also appointed 57 individuals against 22 vacancies.

Accounts for the salaries paid to them were also not submitted during the audit, Elangovan said. He added that the syndicate resolution in this regard was not submitted either.

The audit also revealed that university officials had not submitted receipts for a total of Rs.364.62 crore spent over 13 years. The audit had placed on record its objections through 574 questions, he said.

When asked to comment on the issue, a senior varsity staffer said, “Audit objections are a routine with the university being given time to set the discrepancies right. Action taken is recorded during the second sitting of the audit. Also, for expenses like travelling to four districts suddenly is well within state government norms as the nature of the job does not allow recourse to lowest tenders.” Accusing Elangovan of trying to malign the reputation of the university, the official said, “I wonder what action he took on audit objections when he was a member of the university syndicate for three years.”