The financial crisis facing Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) is expected to cast its shadow over its budget 2012-13, which is likely to announce an overall fee hike and skip ambitious development programmes for the new financial year.
The annual budget to be presented here on Thursday is expected to recommend increase in fees for various courses including B.Tech. and M.Tech. programmes of the university.
Senior university officials pointed out that a fee hike was inevitable as the varsity remains clueless even on how to pay the staff salaries in April.
The budget to be presented by Lopus Mathew, convener of the Finance Committee of the Syndicate, is expected to stick to ground realities and may not include big projects for the new year.
The aim of this year's budget will be to improve internal revenue utilising the existing resources on the campus.
The budget is expected to announce new courses in various areas including engineering, law and management.
Broken promises
The annual budget of the university seems to be turning into a ritualistic affair as major proposals continue to remain on paper.
A review of last year's budget reveals that majority of the recommendations have not been implemented.
The budget for 2011-12 had proposed a major greening and conservation initiative on the campus.
The ‘green budget' had envisaged an integrated approach that mainly involves rainwater harvesting and groundwater discharge on the campus, evolving alternative energy models and conducting power audit, making the university a paper-less office, building greenery within the campus, adopting a new approach in the construction of buildings and creating a conducive environment for better health.
Sources said that no concrete steps were evolved to realise these proposals.
The university could not even implement basic greening programmes on the campus, they said.
