An audit report of IIT-Delhi by the office of the Director General of Audit,Central Reserves,accuses the institute of deficient procurement planning that cost IIT-Delhi Rs 434.5 lakh due to idling of equipment. The equipment in question,Quanta 3D FEG (Dual Beam FIB+FE SEM) and accessories for a Micro Manufacturing Laboratory,were received from The Netherlands on January 16 this year. Though the orders were placed in August 2008,the audit report says the lab was not ready at the time. The report says the auditors found in June this year that the equipment remained uninstalled,lying in corridors with an item,Dimethyle (acetylacetonate) gold (iii),which was to be stored in the fridge as advised by the vendor due to want of pre-installation of work at site. The report points out that after the equipment arrived,the institute placed an order in March 2009 for equipment required in the construction of the laboratory itself. Purchase of equipment without ensuring off-site and pre-installation work indicated deficient planning,which resulted in idling of equipment (worth) Rs 434.50 lakh for more than half a year as of June 2009, the report says. IIT-Delhi Director Surendra Prasad said he was not aware of the specific incident and would not comment on it. But,he said,Such incidents happen sometimes,though they are very rare. It is usually the fault of the scientist concerned but the administration will have to take the blame in the end. IIT-Delhi Deputy Director (Administration) S M Ishtiaque said: Audit reports always raise such objections,to which the institute replies. We have replied to the objections of this report also (and) auditors usually drop such paragraphs after they find our reply satisfactory. Ishtiaque said a very sensitive laboratory was under construction in this case,and the contractor overshot the deadline. But all replies by IIT-Delhi were found not tenable by the audit team and the paragraphs were not dropped. The audit report says unplanned procurement cost IIT-Delhi Rs 656 lakh in 2006-07 and Rs 30.87 lakh in 2007-08. Besides,idling of funds due to non-installation of equipment cost Rs 301 lakh in 2007-08. The report also points out.* Inadmissible payment of Rs 82.24 lakh as advance increment to employees,against a Finance ministry directive* Irregular payment of honorarium of Rs 28.41 lakh to Central Administrative Staff,without approval of HRD ministry * Irregular expenditure on cellular phones by non-entitled officers cost IIT-Delhi Rs 12.83 lakh* A senior Supreme Court advocate paid Rs 8,47,000 for seven cases he handles; when payment should have been Rs 21,000 as per Law ministry. * Rs 66.81 lakh lost from April 1999 to March 2009 because IIT-Delhi charged banks and post offices in its premises much less than rates prescribed by Directorate of Estates. * IIT-Delhi Deputy Director (Admin) S M Ishtiaque: 320 acres we have (in campus) is not part of the general land pool of the Directorate of Estates,therefore we have the liberty to charge them as per our rates.
