Chandigarh 11 Sep: “There will be hopeful news when we meet next in December, as the new chancellor has offered to help us,” said Panjab University vice-chancellor professor AK Grover, at the senate meeting, held on Sunday.

Senate meeting: V-C says PU has done a little progress in terms of finances but will be able to pay the salaries of the staff till the end of this year

Professor Grover announced that the new chancellor Venkaiah Naidu will be visiting the Panjab University in February, 2018. In the senate meeting, professor Grover shared that he will be submitting an executive summary of the varsity’s financial status to the chancellor, soon.

He said that the PU has done a little progress in terms of finances but it has survived and it will be able to disburse the salaries of the staff, till the end of this year.

The V-C also highlighted that the UT administration wants the varsity to have tight security across both the campuses, raise walls at all the boundary walls, have corridors and motorable roads across the campus.

He added, “The administration had this concern that 15,000 students are coming from across India to study here. They want PU to be secure as possible. They impose directions on us but we do not have money.”

“We have to go back via the new chancellor to state that if we are a city within a city then the civic needs of the campus ought to be their responsibility. Either they accept the responsibility or make us grant available as we have to do everything through internal income by enhancing the burden on the students,” said Grover.

Reconstituted committees to give a plan on finances

He said that it is the task of the reconstituted think tank to give a plan on cross subsidy for who all can pay and who all cannot.

“The fee committees have been reconstituted for looking what should be charged from the students on the campus, from the students in Chandigarh city and from students who are enrolled in affiliated colleges. The first committee, which is bound to respond, is that how the affiliated colleges will survive.”

“We are enjoined to submit to the central government some revised estimates in the background of the centre having given us Rs 208 crore. If we don’t send it, they will question us on this. I may earn a wrath for it,” he added.