New Delhi: CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury today met President Pranab Mukherjee and apprised him of the issues raised by the Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) regarding the functioning of the varsity. “I met President Mukherjee and presented him a copy of the ‘White paper' released by DUTA.
I also discussed with him the issues raised by the teachers,” he told PTI. He, however, did not elaborate further on the meeting. DUTA had released a white paper in August accusing Vice Chancellor Dinesh Singh of administrative and financial irregularities.
The teachers association has also been demanding a visitorial enquiry into the allegations and had sought the intervention of the President, who is the Visitor of Delhi University.
Taking cognisance of the white paper submitted by DUTA, the HRD ministry had asked the varsity to send a point-wise reply to the allegations made in the document. DUTA today conducted a whistle blower march in protest against the alleged inaction by the government in probing the allegations made by them.
“The government has been dragging its feet regarding the report submitted by the UGC's Satyam Committee which found the VC guilty of diverting over Rs 100 crore from the OBC Expansion Grant towards the FYUP laptops. Neither has it responded yet to the DUTA's demand for a Visitorial Inquiry against the VC,” DUTA President Nandita Narain said in a statement.
“The protesting students and teachers were also joined by BJP leader Udit Raj, AAP leader Anand Kumar and president of Lok Chetna Manch Mithilesh Kumar Singh, in solidarity with their demand for the VC's removal,” she added.
In the white paper, DUTA had accused the VC of financial irregularities in key projects to the tune of Rs 200 crore. The document also questioned the VC's action related to OBC grants meant for expansion of the teaching faculty and upgrade of infrastructure through the purchase of laptops for Four Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) students.
DUTA had also alleged that there has been an illegal diversion of funds over Rs 100 crore from the university's School of Open Learning.
