Revenue generation: PU student council presents suggestions

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 16 

The 15-point suggestions on revenue generation was given by the Panjab University Campus Student Council (PUCSC) to Panjab University Vice-chancellor Arun Kumar Grover today after hefty fee hike was proposed for the next academic session.

The council stated that even though the authorities were pressurising the Punjab government to double the grant and raise the funding issue with the Human Resource Development Ministry, there were a large number of areas on the campus which could be explored commercially to raise the revenue of the university.

PUCSC president Nishant Kaushal said as the student council strongly opposed the fee hike, especially in the academic sector; it was suggesting these options to generate funds.

The authorities should commercialise areas around the student centre, major roundabouts, barricades, e-rickshaws, sheds and university gates for advertisement purpose. Solar panels should be installed to produce electricity on the roofs of departments and hostels to generate revenue.

The university can construct new hostels and guest houses in Sector 25 with better facilities and charge higher fee. Upgrade of health centre facilities of the campus by increasing equipment and staff by constituting trust like the Bhartiya Vikas Parishad, which is presently working in Sector 24, where the alumni of the university can also contribute.

The authorities can also open coaching classes for various government jobs (IAS, SSC, Bank PO etc.) by hiring teachers from university or from outside in the evening as lots of students are preparing for these exams. Even the infrastructure can be provided to private institutes to teach students on the campus.

The council raised 15 points that the authorities should revise the rents of guest houses and charges should be paid on the time of booking. The rents of the shops should be revised on the campus. The authorities can construct and provide space for a food joint at Sector 25.

The projects like construction of auditorium in Sector 25 and hockey turf which are hanging from the last few years should be commercialised. The authorities are permitting for new courses to different colleges but the amount of revenue generated by the colleges shared with the university is negligible. The proposal to hike the fee should be drafted.

Membership fee for swimming pool, indoor badminton court, shooting range, cricket ground and library could be increased for outsiders. The university can think of organising more academic conferences such as CHASCON and sports events as these events are good source to generate money. Summer trainings should be started in various departments for college students as after the exams there used to be no student in the university till the next session.