Chandigarh: Audit captures issues in CCTV renting before chancellor’s PU visit
As per the report, it was observed that as the V-P visited the PU, Chandigarh, campus for Global Alumni Meet 2023 on December 23, five additional cameras were installed, on rent, on the campus for three days at an amount of ₹64,900
An audit conducted by the resident audit officer (RAO) on the functioning of the registrar office for the 2023-24 session has pointed to discrepancies in renting CCTV cameras during the visit of Panjab University (PU) chancellor and Vice-President (V-P) of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar, for the Global Alumni Meet held in 2023.
The audit was conducted under Section 14(2) of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (DPC) Act.
The audit was conducted by the RAO and other staff deployed by the UT local fund examiner. An inspection report has been prepared by the office of director general of audit (central) Sector 17.
As per the report, it was observed that as the V-P visited the campus for Global Alumni Meet 2023 on December 23, five additional cameras were installed, on rent, on the campus for three days at an amount of ₹64,900.
As per the report, the chief of university security (CUS), in a letter on December 19, 2023, had requested the PU registrar to sanction the amount for three days along with three quotations.
The date mentioned on the lowest quotation was December 20, 2023, while the letter was written on December 19, 2023.
Further, PU had paid almost ₹65,000 towards renting the cameras while 17 cameras of same specifications were ordered for purchase and installation at its International Hostel just a few days later on December 29, 2023.
The purchasing cost of each camera was ₹15,340, and had PU purchased the cameras instead of renting them it would have cost them around ₹76,700 to purchase the same cameras at the same rate.
“If the university instead of installing the CCTV on rent had purchased the CCTV it would have created assets for the university. Out of the three quotations, one quotation of BIGD Enterprises was also without date,” the report further observed.
Reasons for obtaining one quotation without date and installing CCTV cameras on rent for three days at such a high rate instead of purchasing the CCTV along with the proposal signed by the CUS before the date of quotation were called for during audit, but they added that no reply was furnished.
Speaking about this, PU CUS Vikram Singh said, “The chancellor’s security team had come from Delhi and had asked for these cameras. Purchasing of cameras has to be done through the government e-marketplace (GeM) portal and it takes time so it couldn’t be done.”
However, PU also rents CCTV cameras for other big events. During the Panjab University Campus Students Council (PUCSC) elections, cameras are also rented for the tent area. Singh, however, said during the preparation for the chancellor’s visit a month back, this issue was raised and the varsity has now decided to install permanent cameras along the path selected for VIP movement.
