Short of funds, Punjabi University banks on fees to pay staff salaries

PATIALA:WITH no funds available to meet its committed expenses, Punjabi University, Patiala, is banking on fee collection from students to pay the salaries to its faculty members and other employees.

The university has failed to release the salaries and pensions to its nearly 5,800 serving and retired staffers for the month of May.

Even the Punjab government failed to provide any financial relief after the varsity management took up the issue related to severe financial crisis being faced by the institution.

“In such a scenario, the university has no option than to depend upon fee collection from students already admitted in undergraduate and postgraduate courses. The last date of submitting fee is June 23,” said a senior official.

The monthly salary budget of the university is pegged at ₹33 crore. As per the budgetary proposals for this fiscal, the varsity expects to generate ₹250 crore from its own resources out of the total annual revenue of ₹380 crore, including government aid. These resources mainly include examination fee, tuition fee, funds and security amounts of students, fee from distance education courses, registration and revaluation charges, etc.

Varsity registrar Prof Manjit Singh Nijjar said they are making every possible effort to generate or get funds to pay salaries and pensions to the employees.

“The funds generated from fee collection are a major source of income for the university. With Tuesday being the last day of fee submission, we expect good collections and the expenses will be met accordingly. The salaries will be paid at the earliest,” he added.

The university has also directed its regional centres and constituent colleges to deposit parent-teachers association (PTA) funds and security to the tune of ₹1.35 crore submitted by students while getting admission in these institutions.

Punjabi University Teachers’ Union (PUTA) secretary Gurnam Singh Virk said a letter on the institution’s financial condition and their demand for the release of special grant has been sent to chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh.

“The vice-chancellor has not been able to mobilise funds for the timely release of salaries and deposit of deductions,” Virk said.

PUTA president Prof Jaswinder Singh Brar said the chances of release of salary and deposit of deductions were dim.

PUNJAB GOVERNMENT FAILED TO PROVIDE ANY FINANCIAL RELIEF TO THE VARSITY

AFTER BEING APPRISED OF THE SEVERE CRISIS.