Remote control

Sir — In the backdrop of protests against Abhijit Chakrabarti, the vice-chancellor of Jadavpur University, and the resultant “deeper academic damage” suffered by the institution, Sukanta Chaudhuri has rightfully expressed his deep concern about the “demolition of excellence” in the state’s universities (“Jadavpur in jeopardy”, Nov 9).

The controversy surrounding Chakrabarti has snowballed into a critical face-off between the students and the state government, which has taken an inexplicably soft stand on the vice-chancellor in spite of his gross ineptitude. The root of the present fiasco might be found in the interfering role played by the new regime in several academic institutions of the state while completely disregarding its promise of liberating them from politics. Had those who had thrashed the principal of Raiganj College been taken to task and campus violence crushed with an iron hand without political favouritism, the credibility of the government would have increased manifold before the student community.

Had Chakrabarti desisted from giving a clean chit to Tanmay Acharya — the Trinamul student leader accused of involvement in the cash-for-seat scandal in Bhaktabala B.Ed College — the Jadavpur impasse may have been settled more easily (“‘Clean chit’ for leader accused in BEd scam”, July 18). Chakrabarti has lost the right to be respected by the student community because of his partisan and overtly political stand. The controversy could have been mitigated had the governor turned down his nomination to the vice-chancellor’s post.

However, in spite of the legitimacy of the students’ demands, their method of protest through excessive ‘kolorob’ or noise, as highlighted by the media, might pose a hidden risk for the smooth running of the faculty.

Chaudhuri has rightly expressed his reservations against “a new strategy of political control from outside through legislation and governance” since it is bound to compromise the quality of education, thereby ruining any scope of forming ‘world-class’ academic institutions in the state as envisioned by the chief minister.

Yours faithfully,
I.N. Banerjee, Calcutta

Spend less

Sir — It is heartening to know that the government has contemplated an austerity drive to cut non-plan expenditure by 10 per cent (“Jaitley follows UPA austerity ritual”, Oct 31). Officials are barred from travelling first class for domestic and international visits. They have also been asked to use video conferencing as much as possible. Politicians, known to be reckless spenders, should also be brought under the ambit of the austerity drive.

However, the ban on the creation of new posts in government departments and the decision to not fill posts that have been vacant for over one year are not justified. There should be no restrictions on creating new posts to meet increasing demand. Further, it is wrong to assume that the posts that have remained vacant for over a year are redundant. Vacancies, when not filled up as per requirements, may affect the efficiency of day-to-day functioning. Cuts in expenditure should not lead to a fall in the quality of services rendered to the general public. One cannot have the cake and eat it too.

Yours faithfully,
K.V. Seetharamaiah, Hassan, Karnataka

Sir — It is praiseworthy that the finance ministry of the Narendra Modi government has issued guidelines to all offices to cut spending on meetings, tours, travel and the purchase of vehicles. Officials in public sector banks should also take lessons from the austerity measures issued by the government and try to follow the same. It is not unusual for top officials — branch managers, regional heads or even marketing officers — to conveniently organize meetings in luxury hotels or even tourist spots. These provisions for relaxation and enjoyment shift the focus from the real purpose of such meetings. The money spent on such gatherings is usually shown in official records as legitimate expenses without providing any details of the expenditure incurred. High-ranking officers have also been known to make personal visits to friends and family on the pretext of travelling for official duty.

However, keeping in mind the Central government’s attempt to change work culture in the administrative circle, those in charge of management in public sector banks should also take necessary steps to reduce avoidable expenses. With major advances in technology, one can conduct all meetings through video conferences, phones and mobiles.

Yours faithfully,
Danendra Jain, Ranchi