Over Rs 22.99 crore collected, yet no access to holiday homes: Panjab University students demand audit

At a press conference on campus Friday, student representatives presented a dossier based on RTI filings, Senate records and budget annexures. The students further claimed that the fund — to which every student contributes Rs 78 annually — has seen no tangible output for over a decade. With around 2.68 lakh students across the main campus and over 200 affiliated colleges contributing each year, students allege the university has failed to justify the use of the funds.

Despite intermittent spending reported — Rs 13.9 lakh in 2010, Rs 39.75 lakh in 2016, and Rs 2 crore in 2018 for a “facelift” — students say there’s no public record of utilisation certificates, booking logs, or audits. The 2018 works, covered in a national English daily, were limited to cosmetic repairs and left the homes non-functional. “Google reviews call them abandoned. There is no evidence that these homes were ever made usable for students,” said student leader Archit Garg.

Senate minutes cited by students show repeated concerns from members over the fund. In a 2018 meeting, Senate member Raghbir Dyal noted, “They resolved to keep charging students until construction begins. Crores are lying in the corpus.” He also questioned the status of a proposed holiday home in Amritsar, for which Rs 2.5 crore was sanctioned.

The students claim that RTI queries about the fund have been ignored or vaguely answered. They allege that unspent money has been diverted into fixed deposits — a detail confirmed in internal Senate discussions. While not technically illegal, students argue this violates the spirit of the fund. “Interest must be in lakhs. And yet students haven’t benefited in any way,” said Garg.

They also pointed out that the Dean Students’ Welfare committee — responsible for such oversight — is currently inactive. “Now they say they’ll form a new committee. But who’s responsible for the last ten years?” asked student leader Rahul Nain.

Many students, especially from affiliated colleges in rural districts, said they weren’t even aware of the fund. “We’ve been charged automatically every year without being told what it’s for,” said a student from Ludhiana.

The group — including Garg, Nain, Dalal, Sagar Khatri, Avtar, Sheeshpal and Rahul Chauhan — demanded a full forensic audit by an external agency, a freeze on further collections, public disclosure of tenders and expenses, and accountability from university officials.

Legal advisors to the students said the issue could amount to misrepresentation under consumer protection laws.

A university official said the matter is under internal review but declined to comment on missing audits or the status of the funds. Student leaders now plan to approach the Punjab government and the UGC. “This is about trust,” said Dalal. “Public institutions can’t erase accountability — one semester at a time.”

The author is an intern with The Indian Express