NU gives incomplete, confusing RTI info

Nagpur: Nagpur University (NU) has a habit of providing incomplete and confusing information to RTI queries. In a recent case, the NU authorities not only failed to provide complete information, but it was also very confusing and incorrect.
Senior activist Abhay Kolarkar had sought information pertaining to enquiry panels constituted by NU and its statutory bodies from January 1, 2008, to November 30, 2017. He also sought to know the purpose behind the formation of those committees, when they submitted their reports and whether those were accepted or rejected by the university.

His next query was regarding the action taken by NU on recommendations of these panels and how many officials were actually punished. Finally, Kolarkar sought information on whether any report was kept pending and why.

The reply filed by public information officer from NU’s establishment section, Maroti Borkar, informed that it had appointed enquiry committees in just three cases and started departmental probe into two other. He, however, failed to mention names of the panels and officials, who are either dismissed or suspended for wrongdoings. Even other information on the number of panels was confusing, inconsistent and vague.

Deputy registrar with NU’s establishment section, Pradeep Masram, admitted discrepancies in the reply. He accepted that many panels were constituted in nearly nine-year period and Borkar, who is his subordinate, had submitted incomplete information.

“He (Borkar) couldn’t retrieve entire information as sought under RTI. Certainly, a number of enquiry panels were constituted in all these years. I’ve invited the activist (Kolarkar) for personal interaction and will provide him entire information,” Masram, also the appellate authority, told TOI.

Surprisingly, VC SP Kane defended Borkar stating that NU couldn’t provide voluminous data in RTI reply. However, he admitted that Borkar’s reply regarding only five panels constituted in nine years was not correct. “If the activist would have asked for a single panel report, we could have provided it. However, he asked for the entire nine-year data, which is impossible to give, as hundreds of panels were formed by VCs and statutory bodies.”

Registrar Puran Meshram advised the RTI activist that he could move the first appellate authority if he was not satisfied with the replies.

In reply to Kolarkar’s queries, Borkar said that NU appointed enquiry committees in three cases and started departmental probe into two other. The cases are about financial irregularities, misappropriation of funds in application forms, indiscipline in official work, going on long leave without applying, and levelling baseless allegations against the senior officials.

Some panels were set up to probe serious cases like mental harassment to girls and meting out ill-treatment to them, showing negligence and irresponsible behaviour at exam centres, irregularities in colleges. The reply also mentioned adoption of unfair means during NU examinations, which though didn’t name anyone, was directly related to former assistant registrar Sandhya Chunodkar-Handa’s case of helping out of her son Karan for clearing his subjects in revaluation and retotalling.

NU accepted four reports while departmental probe is underway in one of them. These panels were appointed in 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2017, while three of them submitted reports in 2007, 2010 and 2011.

Borkar said about three persons were suspended or sent on compulsory leave, while in two cases their increments were stopped. In one case, the issue was resolved between both the parties while in the remaining case, an official (Chunodkar) was dismissed from service.