BU snaps landline phones to cut costs, aims to save Rs 25 lakh annually

Bangalore University (BU) will save at least Rs 25 lakh annually by disconnecting landlines at various departments on the Jnanabharathi campus.

The varsity’s move is intended to cut costs. It has already disconnected 642 out of the 760 landlines after receiving replies to notices issued to heads of departments.

The university has decided to retain 118 landlines, 22 of which have outgoing capabilities.

Varsity officials said that it was previously paying around Rs 3-4 lakh per month to BSNL for landline bills.

“We were shocked to see the monthly bills from few departments and decided to end the unnecessary expenditure,” said a senior official of the university. “The issue was discussed in the Academic Council before issuing an order.”

BU’s Registrar (Administration) N Mahesh Babu told DH that the university would be saving Rs 25 lakh per year.

As explained by the officials, there were months when the bill amount crossed Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore per year.

BU has been struggling financially after its trifurcation.

“Our resources were distributed among three universities. Affiliation and examination fee, the major source of income, have gone down with the reduction in colleges. Now we are cutting down on unnecessary expenditure,” an official explained.