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Alumni, citizens want Maharashtra intervention in Shikshan Prasarak Mandali matters

Zee media had organized an one-hour program – Rokhthok – on the topic Shikshan Prasarak Mandali Wachva (Save Shikshan Prasarak Mandali) in Pune where the trust's headquarter is located. Zee media, including Zee 24 Taas and dna, has been running a series of reports for past one week on alleged irregularities at the trust.

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Citizens at Rokhthok, a discussion organised by Zee Media on the alleged irregularities at Shikshan Prasarak Mandali, in Pune on Friday
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Pressing for immediate removal of Shikshan Prasarak Mandali's governing council chairman Abhay Dadhe, vice-chairman Anant Mate and Welingkar Institute director Dr Uday Salunkhe, people from all walks of life demanded state intervention on Friday.

Zee media had organized an one-hour program – Rokhthok – on the topic Shikshan Prasarak Mandali Wachva (Save Shikshan Prasarak Mandali) in Pune where the trust's headquarter is located. Zee media, including Zee 24 Taas and dna, has been running a series of reports for past one week on alleged irregularities at the trust. The program was organised at Mahavir Jain Hostel in the wake of overwhelming response to the reports.

Several Punekars brought along bags full of documents, a few had come with old books as well as souvenirs on Shikshan. Former chairman of Nigdi Pradhikaran Gasti Kanitkar, noted journalist Rajiv Sabade, who is also on the board of Cosmos Cooperative Bank and is a former member of the Press Council of India, executive director of Grahak Peth Sutyakant Pathak, secretary of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Pune branch Nandakumar Kakirde, actor and former student Rahul Solapurkar, advertising professional Shirish Bodhani, chartered accountant Sudhir Pandit, who has filed a case with the Charity Commissioner against the malpractices in the trust's elections held in 2011, presented their views.

Former vice-chairman of the governing council BV Radkar, present governing council members Jayant Kirad and Satish Pawar as well as 83-year old Balasaheb Jambhulkar, a freedom fighter, also talked about the issue.

Solapurkar said that the former students are not bothered as to whose panel has won the election to the governing council, but they want clean and transparent functioning of the trust. He demanded immediate dissolution of the present governing council and appointment of an administrator. Sabade said that if government can act against small cooperatives, then why it was not acting in this case.

Pathak said the annual general meeting was not being held as it would expose the irregularities committed by the current governing council. Pawar and Bhandari demanded filing of criminal cases and recovering the losses from Salunkhe, Mate and Dadhe.

Pawar said Dadhe and Mate are not revealing anything citing that the cases are sub-judice. He said he along with Kirad had sent 12 to 15 letters much earlier, but neither Dadhe nor Mate had replied to it. Bodhani questioned as to where have these people taken his Shikshan Prasarak Mandali, which had legendary personalities like late Datto Waman Potdar dedicating his life for it. Kakirde said that it was shocking to hear about the allegations. "It's even more shocking that some of the elected governing council members have been kept in the dark about the day-to-day functioning. This has brought a bad name for Pune."

'Salunkhe in Rs100-cr club'

Jambhulkar said his petition objecting to Dr Uday Salunkhe's appointment is pending before the Court. "This person was appointed as director when he was just a lecturer." Radkar said that Income Tax raids had revealed that there was a chit which mentioned that Salunkhe having properties worth Rs100 crore, while Bhandari pointed out that one HDFC account of Salunkhe was showing transactions of Rs6 crore in one month which was presented to the court.

Prime property given away

Agasti Kanitkar, former chairman of the Nigdi Pradhikaran, said a five-acre plot was given the Shikshan in 1995 during his tenure. "Since then, Shikshan Prasarak Mandali kept it unused. The people who are running the trust have given away this piece of land which is worth Rs100 crore just because they could not built their college on it.

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