VC’s extravagance, if curtailed, could have sponsored free education at SU, student group contends

GANGTOK, 02 July: A group of Sikkim University students, some of whom have earlier been allegedly harassed by the University authorities for their support towards protesting former faculty members, have come up with fresh allegations against the VC, this time accusing him of extravagant spending on networking on a scale which should rather have been invested in assisting students in their education.
The group contends that dinner parties hosted by Prof Lama through his tenure could have cost the university anything in the vicinity of Rs 72,00,000.
None of these dinner parties were organized in non-star hotels and included cultural programmes and attendance of at least 100 guests including the university’s members, the group contends.
The VC visited China along with many other countries which makes for an average of at least 6-8 such foreign trips per year incurring expenditure amounting to Rs 40,00,000 in his 5-year tenure while the cost of his domestic travels have been estimated to have cost around Rs 22,40,000, by the group.
“Recently the President of India was under scrutiny and criticism for her foreign trips and expenditure even though her trips can be justified for maintaining friendly relations with other nations,” the students point out, questioning how, in the light of such accountability, can the VC justify such expenses.
Further, the release mentions that in August 2011, Prof Lama left the quarter at DPH area provided by the State Government and shifted to a rented bungalow which commands a hefty rent and has also received expenses by way of beautification.
Another “unnecessary expenditure”, according to the student group, is the hosting of the result declaration programme in star-rated hotels. The University has its own hall with all the required facilities but University programmes are hosted in hotels, which burdens the University with at least Rs. 50,000 for each event which totals to Rs. 5,00,000 in five years, it is further alleged.
The students contend that the total of all such expenditures amounting to approximately Rs. 1.80 crore is sufficient to provide free education to all the 400-500 students of the University for five years. On this, they have stated that few of the scholarships mentioned in the prospectus are actually implemented in practice and the funds used in such ‘reckless expenditure’ by the VC could be utilized in providing such benefits to the students of the University instead.
“We would like to clearly state that our statement is not against the Chair and we mean no disrespect to the chair of the Vice Chancellor but our complaint is against the individual,” the release states.
“We are looking forward to the New Vice Chancellor who will be less selfish and publicity crazy and who shall put the students as his priority,” they state.
The group of students who have issued the quoted press statement are: Mahendra Prasad Gurung, Ugen Bhutia, Rajiv Rai, Suman Das Rai and Sandeep Chhetri, all enrolled in the SU.