The circular - NGC/1997/Parishad/1584/MV1 - has been sent out to principals of degree colleges all over the state. Earlier, colleges would sumbit accounts of such activities to the state government for reimbursement. Now, with the government freezing the grant, colleges have been left to fend for themselves.

BUCTU representatives met the deputy director, higher education, R R Pardeshi, on Wednesday, but he advised them to approach the Director of education. BUCTU will nowapproach Sonawane as well as the state government later this week. Pardeshi refused to comment on the move, saying, ``If it is Sonawane's order, ask him the reasons.''

Government colleges have been bearing expenses for out-station travel for several years now. They have had to abide by rules that ``do not exactly come across as encouraging,'' said sources in a city-based government degree college. They include: The session should not last for more than a week. The period of leave for the session or seminar will not be extended under any circumstances. The backlog of work for the particular period will have to be covered on the teacher's return.

The apparent move at cost-cutting will affect academic growth, said C R Sadashivan, president, BUCTU. ``This is a very arbitrary step that the department has taken. It will restrict the mobility of teachers and defeats what the Union Grant Commission (UGC) has always advocated: the mingling of teachers from all parts of the country.'' The government is looking verynarrowly at the money which is spent on higher education. he added. ``It is not at all difficult for authorities to fund travel and other expenses as there aren't many teachers who tour anyway. Cancellation of the grant will adversely affect academic freedom.'' Of a total of 40,000 university and college teachers in the state, only about 6,000 participate in paper-reading sessions, inter-state and national seminars that are held in several parts of the country every year, according to Sadashivan.

Sadashivan also charged the government of striking down subjects from the syllabus to cut costs. ``Economic Systems, Indirect Taxation and Travel and Tourism are some of the subjects that were just taken away from the curriculum in the last year,'' he said.