Patna, April 26: More than a month has passed since Patna University (PU) deposited Rs 3 crore with Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB) for restoration of power but it seems that dark days for the varsity are far from over.

The varsity had deposited the amount in March end but power has been restored to just two meters out of eight. Though electricity is being supplied to the vice-chancellor and registrar’s office, departments such as accounts, general, engineering and directorate of distance education (DDE) remain in the dark.

The Telegraph had carried a report on March 16, with statements from varsity top officials that the varsity planned to deposit Rs 10.5 crore to BSEB for power restoration. Power was disconnected more than seven months back.

PU registrar Manoj Kumar had said the varsity had planned to deposit Rs 10.5 crore to BSEB of which Rs 2 crore would be generated from the university’s internal resources. The varsity had requested the state government for the rest of the money.

With no power in important departments, employees and officials of various sections at the varsity main office have been compelled to work in the dark. Moreover, power to some offices is being supplied through generators, which is a huge financial burden on the varsity exchequer.

To solve the crisis, varsity officials led by registrar Manoj Kumar went to meet power minister Vijendra Prasad Yadav today. Kumar told The Telegraph: “We were supposed to have a meeting with the minister today for power grants but the meeting was postponed because of his busy schedule.”

Prashant Dutta, head of DDE department, said: “The varsity owes more than Rs 50 crore to BSEB in power bills from 2006. The varsity power bills also include bills of many colleges and postgraduate departments. But the power was disconnected for the varsity main office only.”

Earlier, there was centralised power billing of all colleges and postgraduate departments. Dutta said: “The bill of more than Rs 50 crore is a combined bill of colleges and various departments.” Sources said the varsity was planning to reduce its consumption by removing extra meters from the campus.

PU vice-chancellor Sudipto Adhikari said: “We have asked the engineering section to identify sections and departments where extra power is supplied to curtail the consumption.”

On an average, the varsity spends more than Rs 2,000 on purchase of diesel daily and the monthly figure comes to more than Rs 50,000. Till now, the varsity has spent more than Rs 6 lakh in purchase of diesel in the past seven months which is far than the monthly power bill for the same period of time.

The generators also add to noise and air pollution. The power cut has also affected daily work as the photocopier machine stops running. The generators also fail to take the load of the air-conditioners installed on the varsity main campus”.