MU’s Professor clarifies on reports of vanishing equipment

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IMPHAL, March 16: Prof K Yugindro Singh, UGC co-ordinator Special Assistance Programme (SAP) at DRS-I, has clarified that all imported items for UGC’s SAP of the department of Physics, Manipur University, are intact and available at the department.

In a statement, the Professor clarified that under the UGC’s SAP at DRS-I level awarded to the department of Physics, MU, the UGC identified Astrophysics and Material Science as two thrust areas of research and teaching.

Subsequently, the UGC appointed him and Prof Sh Dorendrajit Singh as deputy co-ordinator wherein he was assigned to look after Astrophysics and Prof Dorendrajit Singh to look after the material science, it said.

Maintaining that the financial assistance approved for purchasing equipments under the programme was Rs 47 Lakhs, of which one Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) was purchased from a Korean company at a total cost of Rs 35,31,828 for material science and 20 Astronomical accessories at a total cost of Rs 14,40,176 for Astrophysics.

The UGC has already re-imbursed to Manipur University for the excess expenditure incurred on purchasing the AFM and Astronomical accessories, said the Professor.

He contended that soon after the arrival of AFM in Imphal on April 2012, it was handed over to Prof Sh Dorendrajit Singh who was also the then head of physics department adding that Prof was solely responsible for the lapse.

On the other hand, all the astronomical accessories purchased for Astrophysics have been tested and they have been put to use for astronomical observations.

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