An internal audit of the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) has found several discrepancies in the art house. The audit, for the year 2013-2014, was conducted between March 11, 2015 and March 31, 2015.
The audit report, which has not been made public by the gallery so far, states that the NGMA did not conduct "physical verification and valuation of art objects" and resorted to "incorrect reporting" to the ministry of culture. As many as 16,480 artworks are kept at the gallery, and a valuation is supposed to be carried out every year.
An earlier audit report for the year 2012-2013 had also pulled up the gallery over various issues like not framing artworks properly, not displaying a majority of the pieces in the gallery's possession, and not acquiring any new artwork since 2006. The earlier report also states that an artwork by Rabindranath Tagore, titled number 1260, has been lying with the laboratory for restoration since 2011.
The 2013-2014 report states that the gallery did not carry out "physical verification" of the store and the library on its premises, which is mandatory given the high value of the artwork. It further states that the gallery incurred a loss of Rs 14.45 lakh "due to not availing of rebate on water charges".
The two reports feature in a list of documents submitted to the Delhi High Court in a PIL filed by one Sharad Tiwari alleging discrepancies at the gallery.
Rajeev Lochan, who retired as NGMA director on June 30, could not be reached for a comment.
The petition, filed earlier this year, states: "The petition is urgent as nature (sic) as the valuable modern art will be taken away as Director is retiring in the month of June and, after 15th of June, may not attend the office and the valuable paintings of Rabindranath Tagore may be stated to be missing."
When contacted, Tiwari claimed, "I found some of these irregularities and realised that if the government is spending taxpayers' money to preserve the culture of our country, and if officials are not following norms, then it is an attack on culture."
The court, which heard the PIL on June 29, will next hear the matter on July 13.
The secretary in the ministry of culture has also been asked for an explanation on the 2013-2014 report by the director general of audit (central expenditure), who sent a letter in this regard on May 5, 2015.
Emphasising the need for timely valuation, the 2012-2013 report had stated: "... the present value of the assets should be ascertained by obtaining appropriate valuation from an expert agency and the same should be indicated in column 3 of the prescribed form every five years. The register maintained NGMA is not in the prescribed format...and valuation of assets in every five years as required was not done."
The 2013 report claims that NGMA acquired its last art object in August, 2006, and that no art object has been physically verified and evaluated since 2000. It had also stated that in the absence of physical verification, it could not be understood which artwork needed restoration. It also raised the issue of only 909, or 5.1%, of the total artworks being put up for display.
Ministry of culture asked to explain
The secretary in the ministry of culture has also been asked for an explanation on the 2013-2014 report by the director general of audit (central expenditure), who sent a letter in this regard on May 5, 2015.
Emphasising the need for timely valuation, the 2012-2013 report had stated: "... the present value of the assets should be ascertained by obtaining appropriate valuation from an expert agency and the same should be indicated in column 3 of the prescribed form every five years. The register maintained NGMA is not in the prescribed format...and valuation of assets in every five years as required was not done."
