Punjabi University budget meeting next week

PATIALA: After a one-month delayed, the Punjabi University authorities have decided to hold its budget meeting in the coming week. However, they have postponed the syndicate meeting to accomodate the budget discussion.

A slew of financial decisions would be taken in the meeting and the university will come up with its annual budget plan, including the expenses and earnings. Besides, the annual grants received from the government and the amount required will also be discussed. Last year, the university, which owes crores of rupees to banks, had come up with a fiscal deficit budget.

The finance committee has put on hold the syndicate meeting that was scheduled next week as a number of decisions are still pending for approval. The university had already failed to hold a number of syndicate meetings despite the norm of holding syndicate meetings at least 11 times in a year.

The university’s syndicate had held only five meetings in the last two years, claimed a senior professor.

The issue of certain scams being reported at the university is also pending for discussion in the syndicate meeting as the authorities had postponed the decision to open inquiry reports in the earlier two syndicate meetings. These alleged scams came to the fore after complaints reached the door of then officiating vice-chancellor Anurag Verma who marked complaints for further inquiry.

Punjabi University registrar Manjit Singh Nijjar said that the budget meeting would be held next week. He claimed that the syndicate meeting will be planned after the finance committee meeting is held as the budget discussion is equally important and it would have become difficult to hold both the meetings in such a short span of time.

Professor Pushpinder Singh Gill said, “The promotions of a number of teaching and non-teaching staff are also awaiting nod for almost a year now. The university is not holding the syndicate meeting in which the decision will be given final clearance.” He said the absence of one of the government members of the education department is the main reason for not holding the syndicate meeting. “Just because one member is not participating in the meeting, it should not be postponed,” Gill claimed.