Kerala varsity: Rs 2.49 crore diversion alleged

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:The Kerala University has allegedly diverted the Rs 2.49 crore sanctioned by the State Government for the establishment of a Centre for Advanced Instrumented Analysis (CAIA) for paying the arrears incurred by it for various construction activities. Sources said that the Higher Education Department,  through an order issued on December 18, 2010, had sanctioned the amount for developing the CAIA under the University Service and Instrumentation Centre (USIC). This amount is being used for clearing the arrears due to the CPWD in connection with the work of the Competency Training Centre and the construction of the Guest House of the Academic Staff College and clearing the pending payments to contractors and firms in connection with the renovation of the Senate Chamber. The CAIA campus was to come up on the premises of the Centre for Adult Continuing Education and Extension (CACEE). However, the CACEE authorities had apprised the university that it was difficult for them to provide space for the proposed centre. This was because they were facing acute space constraints. Following this, it was decided to start the proposed centre at the existing building of the USIC.CAIA was proposed as the university was not in a position to provide costly analytical instruments in each and every department or centre - the university has 41 post graduate departments and another 18 thematic centres of study and research on its campus in Kariavattom. Apart from this, there are 57 university-accredited research centres as well as 46 aided affiliated colleges and 10 unaided colleges. The establishment of the centre would benefit those who enroll for PhD and MPhil at the university departments, research centres and accredited centres in affiliated colleges. The amount sanctioned by the State Government was for acquiring sophisticated equipment like scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform infra red spectrophotometer, gas chromatograph and laser Raman spectrometer.  Kerala University Vice-Chancellor A Jayakrishnan, when contacted, said that he was not aware of the present status of the CAIA. ‘’I will have to refer the files before answering questions on the status of the CAIA and also on whether the State Government had allotted funds for the same,’’ he said.