MUMBAI: Debunking the explanation given by an Ahmednagar college trust for allegedly “forging” its expenses, the state’s Fee Regulating Authority (FRA) has initiated an in-depth inquiry into its balance sheets since 2011-12.
TOI had earlier reported that at least 19 employees held two or more posts in colleges run by the same Ahmednagar trust, Gramin Samajsevi Sanstha. Discrepancies, including showing a peon and a nursing college housekeeper as a lecturer and a department head in their pharmacy college, respectively, came to light while scrutinising a fee
hike proposal submitted to the FRA. Their salaries were shown as the institute’s expenses to seek fee revision.
While the trust had earlier told TOI that it was an inadvertent mistake in feeding data during the pandemic due to limited staff, the fee authority has reportedly found the trust
used the same modus operandi in 2018-19 too.
The regulatory body has initiated an inquiry into the fee hike proposals submitted during almost a decade. The trust runs four colleges in Ahmednagar—three for nursing and one for pharmacy.
In a recent order, the authority noted, “It is of the view that the explanation put forth (by the institute) is patently false and nothing but an attempt to anyhow overcome the illegality committed... The record reveals that the same modus operandi was followed even in 2018-19.” It further observed, “Such practice is being followed for a long time to get higher fees approved and then to claim reimbursement from the state government cannot be ruled out.”
The authority, therefore, ruled that it is necessary to conduct an in-depth inquiry to uncover the truth.
The trust was directed to submit all records of income and expenditure from 2011-12, including the fee revision proposals submitted, the audited financial statements and bank statements.
In his submission to the FRA, Prakash Kolpe, president of the trust, said transactions relating to the institution were made in cash as it is located in a small village, where there is no nationalised or scheduled bank. He said he was not aware of the FRA norms and the procedure of maintaining account books and submitting online fee proposals. Kolpe further said there was a shortage of qualified staff and he has used government funds for developing the institute, also invested his personal earnings and even secured a loan for the purpose. He added he did not use any money for personal gains.
Advocate Dharam Mishra, an FRA member, said the order in this matter will be passed on October 8.
“It will be in the best interest of all stakeholders. This order should set a precedent for other colleges in the state that indulge in such manipulation to get fee proposals approved and to get scholarship reimbursements from the government. There should be more accountability on their part,” Mishra said.
