Pay and use: Students charged to use Delhi University laboratory instruments

Science students at Delhi University have to pay to use laboratory instruments, which were free for use until now.

Research scholars and students in the departments of physics, chemistry, botany and zoology were handed the rate card titled “Charges for the users of equipment maintained at University Science Instrumentation Centre” on May 1, according to a report by The Times of India.

The University Science Instrumentation Centre (USIC) has listed charges for the use of 21 instruments. The user charges start at Rs 20 per litre of liquid nitrogen rising to Rs 100 per hour for the circular dichroism spectroscopy, a form of light absorption spectroscopy, to Rs 2,000 per sample of single-crystal XRD. The rate card differs for students, external academics and for industries.

The move has been criticised by students and research scholars with many questioning why the funds received by DU under the Institution of Eminence scheme are not being used to maintain the laboratory.

"Most research groups have limited research funding and this includes the contingency amount provided to us by UGC/CSIR. The money we get isn’t sufficient even to procure chemicals, reagents, solvents, glassware, etc., but we somehow managed to continue the research. The idea to initiate the use of instruments on a payment basis will immensely hamper our ability to publish data in reputed peer-reviewed journals,” the representation of vice-chancellor Yogesh Singh was quoted as saying in the report.

According to the report, 248 students — 128 from the chemistry department, 43 from physics, 35 from botany and 42 from the zoology department — have signed a letter stating that researchers weren’t consulted before such a big decision was implemented.

The facilities at USIC were installed after its establishment in 1984 with the support of the University Grants Commission and an Indo-Japanese grant-in-aid.