The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has flagged several financial and administrative concerns at Hansraj College, including unclaimed student deposits of nearly Rs 3.68 crore, severe shortage of teaching and non-teaching staff and contingent advances worth lakhs remaining unsettled for years. According to the CAG audit report, obtained under the RTI, for 2021-22 to 2023-24, the college was holding Rs 3.67 crore in refundable student-related deposits as of March 31, 2024. The amount includes Rs 3.59 crore in refundable student security fees collected at the time of admission and Rs 7.95 lakh in hostel caution deposits.
“The audit observed that refundable student security fees and hostel caution deposits amounting to Rs 3.67 crore were lying unclaimed,” the report noted.
The report recommended that the college should refund the money to former students at the earliest.
Responding to the audit observations, Hansraj College Principal Prof Rama told The Tribune that the institution follows a prescribed process before any unclaimed deposits can be utilised.
“We have to wait for three years for students to claim their refundable security deposits. The college makes efforts to contact the students concerned and refund the amount. If the money remains unclaimed even after the stipulated period, it can be utilised for college development activities such as construction of hostels, infrastructure enhancement and other student-centric facilities, but only after following the prescribed procedure, obtaining the necessary approvals from the competent authorities and complying with the university regulations,” she said.
The audit also highlighted the continuing manpower shortage at the college. Against a sanctioned strength of 435 teaching and non-teaching posts, only 345 employees were in position as of March 2024, leaving 90 vacancies unfilled.
The vacancy figures cited in the audit, however, differ from those reflected in the latest National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) submission of the college, which lists 316 sanctioned teaching and non-teaching posts.
Explaining the discrepancy, Principal Prof Rama said the difference arose from the reporting methodology adopted by the two agencies.
“In the CAG audit, we are required to include guest teachers who have been serving continuously for a considerable period while calculating the overall manpower position. The methodology followed for NIRF reporting is different, which results in variations in the sanctioned strength and vacancy figures reflected in the two reports,” she said.
The audit observed that vacancies in teaching and non-teaching positions were affecting the functioning of the college, and recommended that the vacant posts be filled at the earliest.
The audit underscored the need for improved financial management, timely settlement of outstanding accounts, stronger internal controls and expedited recruitment to critical teaching and non-teaching positions to enhance accountability and administrative efficiency at the college.
