BELLARY: The Deputy Registrar of the Gulbarga University and another official working at Nandihalli Post Graduate Centre in Bellary have been placed under suspension based on complaints that the duo had allegedly encouraged the lifting of iron ore, which had collected as silt over the years in the canal running through the land owned by the university, by a private company.

Gulbarga University Vice-Chancellor B.G. Mulimani and Registrar S. Rajanna who visited Nandihalli Post Graduate Centre, told The Hindu that the officials had been suspended with immediate effect and a complaint had been filed with the police. They added that the university syndicate had taken serious note of the incident and had constituted a fact-finding committee to go into the charges against the officials.

Prof. Mulimani said the alertness of university staff members had prevented the lifting of iron ore by the company, which had brought men and machinery to the site and even laid a road to the canal to allow a passage for their vehicles.

Letter

He said the two men had told other officials, including Director of the PG centre Rudramuniswamy who objected to the laying of the road, that Mr. Rajanna had given them a letter allowing the private company to lift the iron ore. Some of these staff members brought this to Mr. Rajanna's notice. Prof. Mulimani said the Registrar had clarified that he had not given the firm any authorisation letter and his signature had been forged.

The letter stated that the university syndicate had decided to allow the company to remove the iron ore, which had collected over the years from the nearby forests in the canal and in the check dam at the PG centre, at a rate of Rs. 150 per tonne, and had asked it to deposit Rs. 2 lakh as a deposit. Prof. Mulimani, however, said the syndicate had not taken any such decision and had rather authorised the university to remove the iron ore silt.

He said the issue would be thoroughly investigated and the guilty would be punished. However, no action has been initiated so far nor have any arrests been made.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail