Financial crunch: BZU admin struggles to pay staff salaries

Depts of institution criticised by VC for continuously reporting deficits, now totaling Rs800m

MULTAN: A severe financial crisis has begun at Bahauddin Zakaria University (BZU) as the university administration reportedly frets about paying salaries and pensions.

BZU Vice Chancellor (VC) Dr Mansoor Akbar Kundi has repeatedly stated in Chairman Deans meeting that the university was operating with a deficit.

AS per details obtained by The Express Tribune, the educational institution was facing a deficit of over Rs800 million. The VC also prepared a list of sectors which were running in deficit. The chairpersons of those departments were severely criticized, in meeting and meeting, for reporting on the deficit in their department, as no practical steps were being taken to improve the financial situation.

During the ongoing lockdown imposed to prevent the coronavirus threat, only the VC, registrar, treasurer and his personal staff including security guards were obliged to attend the university premises. However, millions of rupees were paid to all university employees, officers and professors under the conveyance allowance.

According to the university’s policies, the conveyance allowance was deducted during the holidays but despite the coronavirus holidays, the allowance was given to all the employees which would increase the deficit of the university instead of reducing it.

During the period of coronavirus threat, the government imposed a complete lockdown and strict orders were given by the government for universities to remain completely closed.

The chairperson of one department said that the conveyance allowance received by the chairpersons including himself, during the lockdown period, was illegal as the university was already in deficit. “We did not visit any department during the lockdown except for our personal reasons. There were no meetings during this period either.”

University employees fully complied with the coronavirus lockdown’s stay-at-home orders, but they also received a conveyance allowance of over Rs20 million.

Legal experts say the coronavirus had not only harmed businesses of the people but also the financial situation of educational institutions such as BZU by illegally providing conveyance allowances.

The government should take immediate steps to withdraw this amount from salaries before the end of the financial year so that the deficit of more than Rs800 million can be reduced immediately, said another expert.

When the VC was contacted regarding the issue, he stated that if the conveyance allowance was given illegally, all the amounts given to the employees and teachers would be deducted from their salaries.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 3^rd, 2020.