PTU faces administrative crisis

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 16

Punjab Technical University is in a spot. The term of its Board of Governors lapsed about three months ago and the Vice Chancellor’s term will be over next week.

The term of the BOG, chaired by Sunil Kant Munjal, joint managing director, Hero MotoCorp, lapsed on September 28. The file for an extension to the board is lying with the government. The file will finally be cleared by Punjab Governor Shivraj Patil. The 13-member BOG — six nominated and seven ex-officio — is the supreme decision-making body of PTU.

The second term of Vice Chancellor Dr Rajneesh Arora lapses on December 23. As per rules, he cannot get another extension. Considered to be a staunch RSS follower, he had joined PTU in December 2008. The term of Dr Arora remained mired in controversies. There were allegations that he favoured persons affiliated with the RSS cadre in appointments. Even the distance education programme which was discontinued owing to a litigation led to much harassment to the students. The learning education centre owners had launched a massive protest against the Vice Chancellor two months ago.

Rakesh Verma, Principal Secretary, Technical Education and Industrial Training, said the issue of extension to the board was being taken up at the government level.

Technical Education Minister Madan Mohan Mittal said it had been decided that Dr Arora would be allowed to continue on the post till a new board was constituted and took a decision on fresh appointment. “I have moved the file to the Chief Minister, which will be sent to the Governor for his approval. I have changed a few members.”

He said: “Once the new board is formed, it would formulate a screening committee and advertise for the post of VC. The process will take about six to eight months. Till then the present VC will continue so that the academic work does not suffer.”