TDB chief admits lapses in audit report

T'puram: Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president K Jayakumar admitted that the issues in the audit report regarding the financial accounts of Global Ayyappa Sangamam were due to lapses on the part of the Board. He said that the errors occurred because officials did not respond to the auditor's questions in a timely manner and that there was a communication breakdown with the auditor.Jayakumar mentioned a peculiar situation involving an MoU worth Rs 8 crore signed with the Indian Institute of Infrastructure and Construction (IIIC) under Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society, which managed the event. Although they submitted a bill for Rs 7.04 crore, TDB informed them that only Rs 4.99 crore would be paid. When asked if IIIC accepted this, Jayakumar responded that they had no other option. He also expressed doubt that IIIC would approach the court.Jayakumar said he does not consider the audit report to be final and believes many corrections need to be made. The board meeting held on Tuesday discussed the audit report in detail. Although the report was received earlier, it was submitted to the court as the deadline set by the court passed. An affidavit was not submitted yet, but it would be done when the court revisits the matter on Feb 27.The usual procedure involves the auditors notifying the board of any issues and the board responding to them. Some responses are accepted while others are rejected. However, this process did not occur this time and it was not the auditor's fault but rather a mistake on the part of TDB. The lack of timely responses to the auditor's questions and inadequate communication resulted in some adverse remarks in the audit report. Certain procedural steps were either not taken or not communicated to the auditor, which will be rectified, Jayakumar said.Providing accurate responses to the questions will change many aspects of the current report. The board meeting decided to make immediate corrections to the errors. A special team led by the devaswom commissioner was formed to complete the actions within 10 days. They will discuss with the auditor and the contracting company to rectify the errors and ensure accuracy in all bills related to the work. The actual situation, including the claim that 4,000 people were fed, will be examined.The report mentions that Rs 8 lakh was paid to music troupe Nandagovindam Bhajans, who did not perform at the event. This was an error based on the information the auditor received and such mistakes due to the board's oversight will be corrected. The previous board decided to limit the Ayyappa Sangamam expenses to Rs 4.99 crore, which will be implemented. The Rs 3 crore advanced by the board were returned to the account.Sponsorships expected from various sources did not materialise. A total of Rs 3.85 crore was received in sponsorships, that is Rs 1 crore short. A promised Rs 1 crore from Adani Group is expected. However, the board will not use its funds for this. A new audit report will be submitted to the court, he said.The contracting company was informed that only Rs 4.99 crore will be paid, but they did not agree to this, as they submitted a bill for Rs 7.04 crore. It will be investigated whether the contract was awarded to IIIC without a tender and whether they subcontracted through a tender. The previous board signed an agreement to spend Rs 8 crore. The contract was given to IIIC due to their experience in organising such events, Jayakumar explained.