VC’s car takes university norms for a ride

Incidentally, the Maruti Esteem has now been given to the Pro-Vice Chancellor Dr Naresh Chandra who till now had to be content with a humble Ambassador as his official car.

In a letter dated November 17 written to the Minister of Higher and Technical Education Datta Rane, the President of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (Colaba Unit) Vineet S Kanchan, has stated: `It is known that just a year-and-half back the vice-chancellor bought a Maruti Esteem costing Rs 4.5 lakh.’ Questioning the need to buy another car, Kanchan protested by saying that this amounted to gross misuse of students’ money which should have been used for the welfare and upgradation of higher education.

Moreover, though Dr Snehalata Deshmukh has reasoned that the purchase of Opel Astra was totally within the limits of the prescribed university budget, observers have pointed that the budgetary norms were not strictly adhered to while buying this sleek air-conditioned car built with German technology.

According to the official budget estimates of the university for 1997-98, a maximum of Rs 15 lakh can be spent for the purchase of vehicles by the varsity. However, a corresponding budget note written in the non-recurring account for the purchase of vehicles clearly states that the sum of Rs 15 lakh has been proposed “to provide a car for the use of the Finance and Accounts Office in the Fort Campus”.

When asked why the VC agreed to accept an Opel Astra for herself when the budget had specifically allocated it for the use of university F&A office, Dr Deshmukh told Express Newsline “There are no separate provisions for buying cars under any specific person’s name; the university first buys the vehicles and then distributes them as required.”

Ironically, while the proposal for Dr Deshmukh’s Astra was easily cleared by the university management council, a similar proposal to purchase a Tata Estate for the earlier vice-chancellor Dr S D Karnik was shot down in June 1994 as there was no budgetary provision for the same.

The convenor of the university budget committee, R J Gujarathi, admitted that he does remember putting up a note that a vehicle should be purchased for the use of F&A office but said it was beyond his capacity to comment how an Opel Astra was taken for the VC. “The vice-chancellor must have worked within her powers in this case, keeping in mind that the budgetary limits are not exceeded; otherwise we would have had to make a supplementary budget,” said Gujarathi.

“But even if the car was purchased within the budget limitations, I think that a vice-chancellor should always set an example of simple living and high thinking for the students. By riding in a luxurious Opel Astra she is sending the wrong signals of materialism amongst the students,” commented the student leader Vineet Kanchan who has also sent a copy of his complaint to the Chancellor Dr P C Alexander.

However, Dr Deshmukh argued that since she has to travel as far as Ratnagiri practically once every month to visit the university sub-centre, a fast car like the Opel Astra is needed. “In fact though I am entitled to a sumptuary allowance of Rs 5000 per month, I have not spent a single penny from it so far — I have never taken guests to expensive five star hotels and never attended parties where drinks are served,” said the VC, adding that the varsity budget deficit should not be linked with her car. “The deficit has been on for over five years now,” she said.

The University Registrar M S Kambli, also a part of the Budget Committee this year, said the varsity usually disposes official cars once they are five years old and purchases new cars. Though he too declined to comment on the need for an Astra, he said the maximum need for cars is in the exam ination section as private cars have to be hired at the time of exams.