Biratnagar: Agitating political parties in Morang, which have been pushing for reforms in Purbanchal University (PU), have called off their protest program after reaching an agreement with the government on Monday.

The agitating parties decided to pull back after the government accepted to their demand to set up a high-level committee to investigate into finical and administrative irregularities among other malpractices rampant in the university.

A government talks team led by Chairman of University Grant Commission (UGC) Ganesh Gurung had arrived at the PU head office in Biratnagar on Sunday to hold dialogue with the agitating parties.

“We have agreed to form, at the earliest, a high-level committee, which will recommend actions to be taken against the wrongdoers in the university after investigating the irregularities within 15 days,” reads the two-point agreement. “The struggle committee (of the political parties) will call off the agitation for the time being.”

CPN-UML Mornag district Chairman, Mahesh Regmi, who was in the talks team from the agitating side, had proposed the formation of a High-Level Committee, which also has the participation of the agitating parties, to deal with the irregularities in the PU.

Emerging from the meeting, UGC Chair Gurung, nevertheless, opined that though the High-level Committee can investigate into the irregularities and suspend the guilty, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) ought to probe into financial irregularities.

Earlier on the day, the talks had also derailed after the agitating parties stuck to their stance that there could not be any meaningful dialogue with the government until the PU officials were forced to resigns from the posts.

Situation had turned tense for a while after Gurung urged the agitating side to drop the demand. The agitating side was pacified after Gurung assured that PU Services Commission would be activated to appoint staffs in the university through open competition.

He also assured that the Auditor General´s office will be requested to audit the university´s transactions.
“Irregularities did take place in the university while procuring construction material and other goods. But the resignation of the officials is not a panacea,” Gurung had told the agitating side.

But he was quick to add that forcing the university office bearers to step down will only create a chaotic void as the election code of conduct has already been enforced for the upcoming Constituent Assembly election, which bars the appointment of new officials in the university.

source: republica,2 Sep 2013