Gujarat University has ordered an inquiry into allegations that a private agency was paid significantly above prevailing market rates for waste-disposal work on its Ahmedabad campus, after student organisation NSUI submitted a complaint to the vice-chancellor. The university has promised to present a detailed report within seven days.
According to the allegations reported by Sandesh, the agency named Dhruv Corporation has been receiving payments for collecting and disposing of dry and wet waste from the university’s approximately 350-acre campus for the past six years. NSUI claims that the agency was paid ₹8,000 per truck, while the usual local rate for transporting waste or soil is approximately ₹2,500 to ₹3,000 per truck.
The allegations also concern the procurement process. NSUI has claimed that the university did not conduct a public tender or e-tendering process before awarding the work to Dhruv Corporation. The organisation has alleged that payments running into lakhs and crores of rupees were made directly to the agency over the six-year period.
The reported complaint places the university’s estate department at the centre of the matter because it oversees campus maintenance and related contracts. NSUI has alleged that the payments could not have continued without the department’s knowledge or involvement. These allegations have not been established through an independent audit or criminal investigation, and the university’s proposed inquiry is expected to determine whether procurement and payment rules were followed.
The controversy has emerged while an earlier inquiry concerning alleged irregularities involving former vice-chancellor Neerja Gupta is still an issue at the university. NSUI and some senate members have criticised the institution’s handling of previous allegations, claiming that committees are formed but criminal complaints and arrests rarely follow. The source report did not provide details of any police complaint or arrest in the waste-disposal matter.
The dispute has also raised questions about the use of student fee revenue. NSUI has argued that funds collected from students, including those from lower-income and middle-class families, may have been wasted if the alleged overpayments are confirmed. However, the report does not establish the total amount paid to the agency, the number of trucks involved, the contractual terms, or whether the university obtained any quotations or administrative approvals.
The university’s immediate response is the promised seven-day investigation and report. The inquiry will need to establish the basis for selecting the agency, the applicable procurement rules, the quantities of waste removed, the rates approved, and the officials responsible for authorising the bills. Any decision on recovery, disciplinary action or a police complaint will depend on the findings of that process.
