Times of India: Nagpur:
Wednesday, April 27, 2016.
Nagpur
University, facing flak from all quarters for delaying results inordinately,
has passed the buck on Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation Limited (MKCL)
accusing it of failure in handling the affairs. However, the Pune-headquartered
company has come out strongly, for first time in its defence, counter-accusing
top NU officials of mismanagement that led to the mess in results declaration.
MKCL managing
director Vivek Sawant, in an exclusive chat with TOI, blamed NU top officials
for allegedly favouring city-based Promarc Software Limited for 'reasons best
known to them' over MKCL. He charged university officials with unnecessarily
blaming the company for delay in results. "We had nothing to do with it,
as our role was limited pre-examination work," he said.
"The
university officials somehow want to oust us and provide entire the work to
other private agencies, despite the fact that they cost more. All allegations
against us are arbitrary and baseless, as we have nothing to do with results
work. We're specifically assigned pre-examination work, while Promarc was given
post exam work that included declaration of results. How come only MKCL is
blamed and not a word is said about Promarc," an upset Sawant asked.
He disclosed
that it was NU vice chancellor Siddarthavinayaka Kane who first approached them
for reviving ties and they never "begged" for it. "After the
change of guard, it was NU who came to us for taking our services. Everything
was all right till December 28, when the university suddenly asked us to give
the entire data of students, or declare results within two days. They told us
that the 'other company' had assured them to finish the task in just two days.
We frankly told them that it was not possible for us do work in a haste and
handed them the entire data. Till today, their 'two days' for results
declaration are not over," the MD sarcastically remarked.
Accusing the
NU for favouring private companies over a government-run one, Sawant said MKCL
charged Rs50 per student for the entire work from admission to convocation, as
compared to Rs60 charged by Promarc. "In fact, we don't charge anything
from repeaters, but the private firm charged Rs60 from them as well. MKCL is
basically formed by the government to provide all IT-related services at subsidized
rates as compared to private firms. It has 33% share of state and universities
each, and rest from private parties. The Bombay High Court has brought MKCL
under purview of RTI Act, which is not applicable to the private players."
Dispelling
rumours of many universities shunning their system, the MD said that except
Marathwada and Amravati, all universities were using it quite successfully
since many years. "Even universities in Gujarat are using our systems. The
Centre for Innovation and Public System in Delhi had studied our software
recently. Our system is being successfully run in the neighbouring Gondwana
University, where Promarc is also there. But their administration had set a
system, unlike NU top officials."
Sawant
admitted that some mistakes took place initially from their part, but quickly
clarified that they happened in every new system like railways reservation,
MSEB's online bill and others. "We do very systematic work and therefore,
our system takes time to settle down. Once it settles, it works lifelong with
some minor modifications. But NU officials were in a big hurry, as private ones
made them false promises of declaring results in just a couple of days,"
he said.
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