HC flags mismatch in conduct of Global Ayyappa Sangamam

Kochi: The Kerala high court on Thursday flagged several discrepancies in the conduct of the Global Ayyappa Sangamam organised by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) at Pamba last year, including the handing over of the programme's contract to the Indian Institute of Infrastructure and Construction (IIIC) without inviting competitive quotations.The court further noted that the conclave's audit records indicate that substantial amounts were committed and disbursed without vouchers and receipts and without sufficient clarity regarding the financial approvals obtained. There is serious slackness in recording the basis on which the expenditure was sanctioned and the safeguards adopted to ensure proper utilisation of funds. The magnitude of the amounts involved, the multiple sources from which funds were mobilised and the manner in which advances appear to have been released without a transparent accounting framework prima facie indicate a disturbing lack of financial prudence and internal financial control, the bench of Justices V Raja Vijayaraghavan and K V Jayakumar observed.The court was considering the records and the submissions made by Vijayan, one of the partners of chartered accountants M/s Vijayan and Associates, the independent auditor appointed by TDB to audit the conclave, who personally appeared before the court as per its previous directive. Upon perusing the records, the court noted that the expenses incurred for the conclave appeared to be substantially higher than the amounts received by way of sponsorship. It was also directed that if the expenditure exceeded the sponsorship received, the board shall place on record the circumstances under which such additional financial commitments were undertaken. Additionally, the bench directed the auditor to file a statement detailing the anomalies, deficiencies and lapses noticed by him in the course of the audits conducted over the years as his firm has been auditing the records of the TDB for the past decade. The case was posted to April 1.The auditors had found variations from the approved budget. Though the overall expenditure reported by IIIC was within the approved budget under certain heads, in numerous instances, the expenditure had substantially exceeded the original sanctioned budget. It was also reported that discrepancies were found in the joint measurement report, including entries relating to a wooden-framed centre table with a glass top finish, food serving charges in the VIP area and the supply of 50 beds amounting to Rs 1.73 lakh.Insofar as the head cultural events is concerned, the musical programmes of Vijay Yesudas, Sudeep and Nandagovindam Bhajans were conducted. Under the same head, expenses were shown towards production tech rider and instruments, and accommodation and travel for all artists and their troupes.