KOCHI: Empty coffers have not stopped the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) from doling out largesse to its syndicate members.
The university, which is reeling under a Rs 48.18-crore budget deficit, has decided to give air fare to syndicate members, some of whom who belong to Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode, to attend meetings. So for the syndicate meeting, scheduled on April 11, the university will have to shell out anything between Rs 4,000 and Rs 8,000 for a member flying in from Thiruvananthapuram, which is almost the cost of an air ticket to Mumbai. A flight ticket from Kozhikode to Kochi, meanwhile, will cost between Rs 2,000 and Rs 6,000.
Surprisingly, none of the other universities in the state grant the same privilege to their syndicate members, despite some having provision for the same.
"Recently, the syndicate decided to give air fare to syndicate members attending meetings or any syndicate sub-committee meetings," said Cusat registrar A Ramachandran. The university holds about 5 to 6 such meetings a month. Surprisingly, the decision has come at a time when Cusat's non-plan deficit has gone from bad to worse. From a deficit of Rs 7.37 crore in March 2011 it has shot up to Rs 48.18 crore in March 2013. To meet the deficit, Cusat has even withdrawn money from employees' provident fund and hiked student fees.
Sources said that the issue of giving air fare to syndicate members was put before the Cusat syndicate after the vice-chancellor ordered an inquiry into the norms and practices followed by other universities regarding sanction of air fare to syndicate members.
Accordingly, Cusat sent letters to Kerala, Calicut and MG universities, enquiring about practices followed by them regarding air fare to syndicate members. While MGU replied in the affirmative, Calicut University said that the university statute does not speak about air fares for syndicate members. But the university clarified that tha same can be given with prior sanction from competent authorities. Meanwhile, Kerala university replied that no syndicate member had availed the air fare.
Incidentally, even in Cusat, in the past, no syndicate member travelling within Kerala was given air fare. A syndicate note states that in the past, three Cusat syndicate members were sanctioned air fares from Delhi but "instances of sanctioning air fare within the state could not be traced".
The Cochin University Teachers Association (CUTA) has criticized the move. "Even as the university is reeling under financial crisis, syndicate members are looking at their comfort and wasting money," CUTA president K Sreekumar alleged.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Cochin-University-of-Science-and-Technology-Flying-high-in-the-time-of-debt/articleshow/19389425.cms
The university, which is reeling under a Rs 48.18-crore budget deficit, has decided to give air fare to syndicate members, some of whom who belong to Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode, to attend meetings. So for the syndicate meeting, scheduled on April 11, the university will have to shell out anything between Rs 4,000 and Rs 8,000 for a member flying in from Thiruvananthapuram, which is almost the cost of an air ticket to Mumbai. A flight ticket from Kozhikode to Kochi, meanwhile, will cost between Rs 2,000 and Rs 6,000.
Surprisingly, none of the other universities in the state grant the same privilege to their syndicate members, despite some having provision for the same.
"Recently, the syndicate decided to give air fare to syndicate members attending meetings or any syndicate sub-committee meetings," said Cusat registrar A Ramachandran. The university holds about 5 to 6 such meetings a month. Surprisingly, the decision has come at a time when Cusat's non-plan deficit has gone from bad to worse. From a deficit of Rs 7.37 crore in March 2011 it has shot up to Rs 48.18 crore in March 2013. To meet the deficit, Cusat has even withdrawn money from employees' provident fund and hiked student fees.
Sources said that the issue of giving air fare to syndicate members was put before the Cusat syndicate after the vice-chancellor ordered an inquiry into the norms and practices followed by other universities regarding sanction of air fare to syndicate members.
Accordingly, Cusat sent letters to Kerala, Calicut and MG universities, enquiring about practices followed by them regarding air fare to syndicate members. While MGU replied in the affirmative, Calicut University said that the university statute does not speak about air fares for syndicate members. But the university clarified that tha same can be given with prior sanction from competent authorities. Meanwhile, Kerala university replied that no syndicate member had availed the air fare.
Incidentally, even in Cusat, in the past, no syndicate member travelling within Kerala was given air fare. A syndicate note states that in the past, three Cusat syndicate members were sanctioned air fares from Delhi but "instances of sanctioning air fare within the state could not be traced".
The Cochin University Teachers Association (CUTA) has criticized the move. "Even as the university is reeling under financial crisis, syndicate members are looking at their comfort and wasting money," CUTA president K Sreekumar alleged.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Cochin-University-of-Science-and-Technology-Flying-high-in-the-time-of-debt/articleshow/19389425.cms
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