Panel set up again to select regular PTU Vice-Chancellor

Tribune News Service

Rajmeet Singh

Chandigarh, February 14

After a gap of two years, the state government has reconstituted a search-cum-selection committee to shortlist the candidates for the post of a Vice-Chancellor at IK Gujral Punjab Technical University (IKGPTU), Kapurthala.

Today the meeting of the panel, comprising new members—IAS officer KAP Sinha and GNDU VC Jaspal Singh Sandhu— was postponed due to prior engagement of Chief Secretary VK Janjua, who is a Chairman of the committee. A nominee of the University Grants Commission (UGC) is also a member of the committee.

Last month, the UGC nominee had objected to the nomination of three members of the search committee, Director, IIT-Ropar; Director, Malaviya National Institute of Technology (MNIT), Jaipur; and Secretary, Department of Technical Education and Industrial Training as the trio were also the Board of Governors of the IKGPTU. As per the UGC regulations, members of the search-cum-selection committee should not be connected in any manner with the university or college concerned. “The nomination of three members to the committee violated the UGC guidelines”.

Since April 2021, the VC’s post has been lying vacant and the Secretary concerned had been holding the charge. Prof Dr AK Sharma was the last regular VC of the IKGPTU.

Seniority hurdle in appointment

• Last year, Governor Banwarilal Purohit had asked the state to appoint the senior most Dean (faculty) or professor as the officiating VC of the IKGPTU
• The department had cited seniority of professors and Dean (Faculty) as a hurdle for appointing one of them as the officiating VC

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