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| Misuse of KU vehicles continues, scholars get peanuts | | Ground situation belies Talat's austerity claims | | Early Times Report
srinagar, Dec 12: Though Kashmir University incumbent Vice Chancellor Professor Talat Ahmad has been claiming that he cracked whip on misuse of funds and vehicles in the Varsity after he took over last year, situation on ground belies his claims.
Sources told Early Times that KU authorities have passed several orders since last one and half years warning the officials against misuse of the Varsity vehicles, but the same have been flouted with impunity.
Immediately after Professor Talat took over last year in June, a committee under the chairmanship of Dean Electronics, Prof Nisar Ahmad was formed to look into the complaints of misuse of official vehicles in the University.
According to the committee, 110 vehicles had been allotted to various officials of the KU who were "misusing" the same. The committee had recommended that only Vice-Chancellor, Registrar and Controller Examination were entitled for the official vehicles.
"The committee had recommended keeping rest of the vehicles in central pool with transport department of the Varsity. Though initially the vehicles were taken away from most of the officials, the situation changed again this year as most of them were able to get the vehicles back," a senior official in the administration told Early Times.
"Deputy Registrars, Assistant Registrars and several HoDs are misusing the vehicles. Even university vehicles are seen plying on roads after 4 pm. The KU gives the look of a car bazaar as vehicles move everywhere," he added.
Sources said that lakhs of rupees are being spent on fuel and maintenance of vehicles in the KU every month. "Earlier, crores of rupees were spent on purchase of vehicles. The financial condition of university isn't good, but despite that officials spend lavishly. Pressing needs like upgradation of libraries and laboratories and increase in stipend to researchers are being ignored," they added.
Professor Talat had last year acknowledged that Delhi University despite being 10 times bigger that KU had only 10 vehicles in comparison to KU's 110.
A senior professor said that while the Varsity has failed to increase the stipend of scholars who are presently getting a meager monthly stipend of Rs 2500 - far less than in other universities - officials in the KU were spending lakhs of rupees on maintenance of vehicles and fuel every month.
"Field of research has been neglected in the KU. A delegation of scholars had met the Vice Chancellor and requested him to increase their stipend but to no avail. Here priority is corruption and not the research," he alleged.
Even the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) team during their last visit had slammed the Varsity for lagging behind in field research.
However, the KU higher ups "bribed" the NAAC team with high-end Pashmina-mixed Tosha shawls, a dozen intricately designed Samawars (Kashmiri tea pots) and Kesar (saffron) to get A Grade, he alleged. |
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