NEW DELHI: The Delhi Assembly on Friday tabled the CAG report on the functioning of city government universities. The report examines the period from April 2018 to March 2023 and covers Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU), Delhi Technological University (DTU) and Delhi Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research University (DPSRU).
It records several irregularities in academic and administrative matters, audit-related findings, recognition and affiliation processes of universities, human resource management, infrastructure facilities, financial management, and internal controls. The report contains audit comments on financial management, human resource management and infrastructure facilities.
Investment of CPF funds by GSIPU was not in accordance with the pattern of investment specified by the government. It also suffered a loss of interest of Rs 2.11 crore due to the delay in the investment of surplus funds during 2018-23.
The Dwarka campus of GGSIPU (March 2022 to April 2023) and the Rohini campus of DTU (January 2022 to July 2023) did not avail the rebate amounting to Rs 4.66 crore available on DJB water bills, despite having functional rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems and sewage treatment plants (STP).
There was an acute shortage of teaching staff during 2018-23, ranging between 38.77 per cent and 44.84 per cent in GGSIPU, 55 per cent and 60 per cent in DTU and 21.77 per cent and 54.43 per cent in DPSRU. The shortage of non-teaching staff and technical staff in GGSIPU during the period 2018-23 ranged from 38 to 50 and 39 to 65 per cent, respectively, and in DTU, these ranged from 62 to 67 per cent and 44 to 49 per cent, respectively.
Similarly, vacancies in non-teaching posts in DPSRU during 2018-23 ranged from 34% to 53%, and those in technical posts ranged from 53% to 80%. Shortcomings such as recruitment delay, recruitment without sanctioned posts and engagement of ineligible persons as consultants were also observed.
All three universities suffered from a shortage of classrooms and seating space. Dwarka Campus of GGSIPU had a seating capacity of only 2,973 for 4,017 students; Rohini Campus of DTU had a seating capacity of 8,280 for 13,908 students, and DPSRU had a seating capacity of only 1,157 for 2,800 students.
The academic and administrative matters reveal the absence of systematic and well-defined policies to promote higher and technical education in the capital. There were arrears in the laying of annual reports and audited annual accounts in the Delhi legislative assembly for two to five years in respect of eight universities. The report brings out deficiencies in the accreditation of universities and the affiliation process too.