IMPHAL, March 15: Equipment and accessories of the Department of Physics, Manipur University purchased from the United States of America and Korea have failed to reach the university, according to reliable sources.

A reliable source identified the missing equipment as astronomical equipment/ accessories of the department of Physics purchased with funds sanctioned to the university by the UGC for implementation of the commission’s Special Assistance programme at the level of DRS-I.

The source also said that the items had reached Imphal for the Physics department and that Utilisation Certificates of the fund sanctioned were also sent to the UGC signed jointly by SAP (DRS-I), department of Physics MU, deputy finance officer MU and registrar MU in 2012.

It is also learnt that a Park System Atomic Force Microscope Model XE-70 was purchased from Korea based firm m/s PARKS Systems Corporation, KANC 4F, Lui Dong 906-10, Suwom at the cost of US dollar 66,000.

Another 20 items of astronomical equipment were purchased from USA based m/s Oceanside Photo and Telescope, 918 Mission Avenue, Oceanside CA 92054, informed the source.

The price of the equipment purchased from the Korean company was Rs 35,318,28,00 (including Rs 2,70,225,00 for custom duty and other charges paid at Kolkata), and the price of items purchased from the USA based company was Rs 14,40,176,00 (including Rs 1,00,817,00 for custom duty and other charges paid at Kolkata), it said.

The supply order for the purchase of the items was sent to the said foreign companies by the department’s professor K Yugindro Singh, coordinator SAP (DRS-I) Department of Physics on December 5, 2011, informed the source.

The advisory committee UGC’s Special Assistance Programme SAP of the department of the Physics, Manipur University in its first meeting chaired by vice chancellor prof H Nandakumar Sharma had approved the supply order for the items purchased from the US based company, according to the source.

The meeting was conducted at the committee room of the VC’s Secretariat was also attended by UGC nominee Banaras Hindu University Physics Department Prof RC Tiwari and five other professors.

In this regard, IFP made queries with some students of the university who also corroborated that the equipment are still not installed in the department.