Accountant General Office Brings out Corruption in KCHR

KCHR yet to recover excess amount paid to senior staff

By Prabhat Nair | ENS - THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

22nd July 2012 09:27 AM

The Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR), which has been under fire for giving excess pay and allowances to its senior staff, is yet to recover about Rs 5  lakh paid to them.

 Even after the Accountant-General detecting the irregularities in its audit report of 2010-11, the excess pay and allowances are still being continued with the amount almost doubling.

 Though KCHR director P J Cherian claimed that the AG might have dropped the objections after the explanation given, sources in the AG’s office said that the objections still remain as such.  ‘’It is not true that the objections have been dropped after the KCHR gave an explanation,’’ sources said.

 Moreover, they said that the KCHR was posing certain delays with regard to the present 2011-12 audit.

‘‘They have been demanding more time when the audit is due,’’ they said. However, KCHR director P J Cherian said that the council had replied to the AG with regard to the objections.

‘‘It is normal to have queries during auditing. We have explained to the AG about all the issues mentioned. I think the AG dropped the objections after giving the explanation,’’ he said.  The AG had recorded that academic coordinator Preetha Nayar was given an excess amount of Rs 3.22 lakh and research officer K P Shajan Rs 1.05 lakh on account of irregular grant of UGC scale in 2010-11.

Sources said the amount due from Preetha has doubled now whereas Shajan has been terminated from his post. Another point that was raised by the AG was with regard to the excess amount of Rs 20,808 given to the secretary to director Sunanda Nair, who was given irregular grant of increment.  Even after the objections were raised, the persons continue to draw the same salary, which no doubt has only added to the financial burden of the exchequer.

 Apart from the irregularities on the excess payment, the 2010-11 report had also said that the UGC scale was granted without government sanction. As the KCHR was an autonomous institution, it was mandatory to get sanction from the government before giving UGC scale.

 It has also been learnt that the Council has not yet given satisfactory explanation to the various objections raised, including parking of funds outside the treasuries.