DU printing press to soon be history?
Orders have fallen by 53 per cent in past 5 years.
New Delhi: Delhi University’s printing press is paving its way to a natural death, with footprints traced to data revealed in a reply to an RTI application filed by law students Mohit Kumar Gupta and Vikas Bhaskar, who faced three months delay in receiving case materials from January to April.
The RTI reply disclosed that against the sanctioned strength of 96 people, only ten have been working as on April 1, 2017. The printing orders that are received from departments and faculties of the varsity has witnessed a drastic fall of 53 per cent over the preceding five-year-period.
The Delhi University Press (DUP) was established on April 1, 1961 and undertakes the responsibility of printing and publishing the orders as received from departments and faculties of the varsity, mostly through empanelled private printers, which are approved by the press advisory committee (PAC).
“The precious intellectual property of thousands of prized faculty members have been wasted and also the machinery that is now corroded and smells of only red tapeism and inaction. Majority of the machines are devoid of any post purchase maintenance,” Mr. Gupta said.
The RTI disclosed that PAC last empanelled the printers on May 19 with no meetings being held till now. Meanwhile, three firms have shown inability to take up printing orders from the university press.
“The state of affairs is at abysmally low level when even DUP cannot provide printing facilitated through private vendors. I waited for three months for my case material, although paid in full much before,” Mr. Bhaskar said.
Mohit said that the varsity has been reeling under immense pressure due to non-availability of the paper and ink cartridges for printing purposes.
According to the RTI data, the number of printing orders went down from 1012 in 2012 to 466 in 2016. Also, the DUP is running without a manager, proofreader, DTP operator, and a section officer, who are considered to be some of the main officials. “There is not even a provision of annual maintenance contract for the machines," Mr. Gupta said.