SHILLONG, JAN 14: Stakeholders of the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) has appealed to Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma to intervene in the administrative crisis faced by the university.
“We met the Chief Minister to apprise him of the prevailing scenario in NEHU. As stakeholders, we have expressed openly that the university doesn’t have any administrative head – as of now as there is no VC, no Pro VC, no registrar, no finance officer as such – and that is creating a lot of administrative hurdles for the university,” president of North Eastern Hill University Teachers’ Association (NEHUTA) Prof Lakhon Kma.
Prof Kma urged the CM to ensure an administrative head is appointed, saying, “We request him to intervene and bring a resolution so that NEHU has an administrative head.”
The CM has reportedly understood the gravity of the situation and is likely to take action.
The crisis has affected salaries of 900 non-teaching staff and outsourced employees, who haven’t received their December pay.
“The CM’s intervention will be really helpful to have clarity on whether Pro-VC F Marak will perform the VC’s duty,” Prof Kma said.
NEHUTA wants the statutory provisions to be implemented, allowing the Pro-VC to act as VC in the absence of a VC.
“We want the CM to ensure the university is stabilized and someone is in charge,” Prof Kma added.
Asked, the NEHUTA president said, “I believe that he will use his good office to convey the Pro-VC of Tura campus that statutory provisions have to be respected. It clearly states that when the VC is not there, the Pro-VC has to perform the duty. If not, she has to express it very explicitly in writing.”
“We want the Pro-VC to explicitly express herself whether she will come to Shillong to perform the duty of the VC or she will prefer not to come. The statutes clearly say when there is no Pro-VC, then the senior most professor will perform the duty of the VC. But right now, since there is a Pro-VC, that option cannot be used at this point of time.”
Reiterating the demand for immediate removal of the present Vice Chancellor Prof P Shukla, Prof Kma said, “What the ministry will do with the Vice Chancellor is the other part of the story. We want him to be removed. When they will do it, we cannot dictate.”
“But right now, we want in-house, whatever statutory provisions are there, to be implemented in letter and spirit so that there is a functioning VC office at the headquarters in Shillong,” he concluded.
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