All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) president Utpal Sarma has questioned the decision to spend ₹2.08 crore on constructing a VIP dining room, kitchen and staff quarters at Gauhati University, saying the expenditure is difficult to justify when the institution is facing financial constraints.
In a post on X, Sarma said he had uploaded the tender notice for the project and claimed that the contract has already been awarded.
According to the tender, the project involves the construction of a Guest House VIP Dining Room, Kitchen and Staff Quarters at an estimated cost of ₹2.08 crore.
Sarma clarified that AASU is not opposed to infrastructure development at the university. He said the organisation would have no objection even if ₹10 crore were spent on creating world-class infrastructure, provided there was no shortage of funds for the university’s academic activities.
“I too desire the development of infrastructure at Gauhati University. There would be no objection even if ₹10 crore were spent to build the world’s best infrastructure, provided that there is no shortage of funds for expenditures on other academic activities of the university,” he said.
However, he described it as unfortunate that a university facing financial difficulties is spending crores of rupees on a guest house kitchen and VIP dining hall instead of prioritising academic requirements.
Sarma said he has brought the matter to the attention of the Assam Education Department and urged the government to examine the expenditure.
