THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, March 29: The financial audit of the two buildings of the Nilamber Pitamber University namely the Administrative Building and Academic Building as told by the Jharkhand Finance Minister Radha Krishna Kishore is set to find skeletons tumbling down from the cupboards of the then vice-chancellors of this university who most ham-handed dealt with this university.
The financial audit would be carried out by the officers of the state Finance Department reiterated Kishore saying, “It would have been a long-drawn probe had it been given to some other agencies so officers of the state Finance Department would conduct the financial audit of both the buildings so taken over by the university in two different years.”
Questionable Delays and Cost Escalations
The minister had valid questions about the propriety of the revised estimates of the academic building when its completion was delayed too enormously.
The academic building was to be completed in 2020 but it was handed over to the university in 2025. The matter didn’t end here. There was a revised additional 43 crore provision made for this academic building. Kishore has raised a red flag on it.
The financial audit would expose the chinks in the armour of the university here where its vice chancellors acted most autocratically.
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Flawed Takeover of the Administrative Building
The Administrative Building called Kautaliya Bhavan was taken over by the then VC Ram Lakhan Singh in 2023. Ram Lakhan Singh had formed a committee of officers of the university which took over the administrative building in 2023.
This administrative building taken over in 2023 had no water facility then nor it has any of its own in 2025.
This takeover was sheepishly done by the then VC Ram Lakhan Singh as there was not a whimper of protest against the glaring deficiencies, most important of all the availability of water in this building.
Pressure Tactics in the Academic Building Takeover
In 2025, the Academic Building was taken over by the then VC in-charge Bal Kishun Munda who was the Divisional Commissioner of Palamu.
Here the story of take over is most eye brow raising. In-charge VC Munda’s retirement was due on January 31, 2025.
He exerted extreme pressure on the university officials to take over the academic building who had no option but to yield to the pressure of the VC in-charge and thus the academic building was taken over by the university on January 24, 2025, just 7 days ahead of the retirement of the VC in-charge Munda.
Takeover is a pure business of the university and technically speaking a committee of officers does the job of taking over the building.
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Accountability of Former Vice Chancellors Under Scrutiny
It’s the VC under whose order the committee so formed takes over the building and hence the responsibility and accountability of the VCs are integral part from which the VCs can’t absolve themselves by passing the buck of the takeover of the building to officers who work under the order of the VC.
If the officers of the committee are to be quizzed of the takeover, the VCs can’t get away from their responsibility and accountability too.
Ram Lakhan Singh and Bal Kishun Munda should also be quizzed, as a matter of investigation since their insights into the takeover are as important as the committee formed under their order that took over the building.
The financial audit is most expected to investigate the role of the then VCs too.
Again the format of the takeover is lopsided as here stereo-typed information is sought. The format needs to be expanded to include even the minutest of the information contained in the design and estimate of the building.
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Raj Bhavan’s Growing Concerns Over NPU’s Functioning
Sources said the Raj Bhavan is too concerned about the affairs of this university. It had sent here its inquiry team consisting of the OSD (J) Mukulesh Chandra Narain and Additional Secretary A K Satyajeet in February. These two officers were joined here by the Executive Engineer of PWD building M Ram.
The Raj Bhavan probe team in its two-day stay here delved deep into the deficiencies gripping the academic building more than that of the administrative building.
The Finance Minister Radha Krishna Kishore has expressed his gratitude to Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar for taking prompt note of the complaint that he made to the Governor to make him aware of the mess of the Nilamber Pitamber University in Daltonganj.
