Expressing disappointment over allocation of "meagre" funds, the non teaching staff of Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) today threatened to launch agitation if the grants were not increased.
The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Coordination Committee of Non-teaching Employees of Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) said that the funds were "insufficient even to meet the expenditure on salaries and pensions."
"We have been pressing the government to provide adequate funds to the university but the bureaucrats are scuttling all our efforts, and we have virtually become beggars," President of JAC, Hitender Thakur and Executive Council (EC) member Waryam Singh told reporters while addressing a press conference here.
They said that the University had asked for grants of Rs 90 crore, but the government has provided only Rs 69 crore, which was insufficient even to meet the expenditure on salaries and pensions.
They also alleged that the ex-officio members of the EC were not attending the meetings, and later rejecting the proposals which were threatening the autonomous character of the University.
"We are hopeful that the government would enhance the allocations before the budget is passed and in case, nothing is done, the employees would be forced to go on warpath again," Singh said.
He said that the University was facing acute financial crunch in spite of the fact that 565 posts, including 232 posts of teachers, were lying vacant and "in case these posts were filled, the financial situation would worsen further".
The chief minister has announced Rs five-crore each for the nine new colleges which is being opened in the state but did not announce any budgetary allocation for setting up new campus of the University at Una and Mandi in the budget, he said.
