HYC levelled a host of allegations against Vice Chancellor of NEHU

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaNovember 13, 2020

HYC NEHU Unit and HYC Education Cell is deeply concerned about continuous fall in academic, administrative and financial integrity of NEHU under the continued misrule and total failure of Prof. S K Srivastava.

Is NEHU now a dumping ground for term expired failed VC to continue and vitiate the academic atmosphere of NEHU?

The HYC demands that Prof. SK Srivastava should be defenestrated and he should resign and return to his parent university in Manipur. The reason being his term got over and he has no business to continue.

The HYC alleged that Prof. S K Srivastva violated all rules of seniority as given in NEHU statute as he appointed his favourite cronies and paid them an extra allowance. One Dean Term of office was over and the next day he is appointed as head of the department while one particular Professor is given a second term as Director of Internal Quality Assessment Cell (IQAC).

The HYC further alleged a junior faculty has been made Professor and Dean in a particular school and he is also made in charges many other important posts. Some other Professors got promotions in an undue manner. The entire matter requires thorough investigation. It is to be remembered that in an earlier case of fake PH.D of a Professor, the CBI had to investigate.

Another very serious case of malpractice is the appointment of Honorary Director in the Indian Council of Social Sciences Research of North eastern region. Ignoring recommendations from Chief Minister, the VC got a professor from a particular state appointed and he was continued beyond his retirement. As the matter came to press, the VC quickly removed that retired professor and again appointed another professor from the same community and from the same state so that he can cover up mismanagement by his predecessor who came from the same state. ICSSR, being an important research institution for Northeast has been completely destroyed by Prof. S K Srivastav by non-transparent appointment.

Prof. S K Srivastava has the unenviable track record of never publishing minutes of statutory bodies on time and publishing it in university websites. The University website does not carry minutes of various statutory bodies.

 In his whole tenure, Prof. S K Srivastava failed to convene even a single meeting of the Board of Research Studies, the body to oversee research. He failed to convene University Court and failed to pass Audit reports, annual reports in the University Court.

Without passing such mandatory reports in the highest body of the University, which is University court, Srivastava even breached the rules of parliament by presenting report without passing it in due forum of University court.

 He did not initiate the process of appointment of Chancellor in his entire tenure so that there is no oversight on him. By avoiding court oversight, Prof. S K Srivastva succeeded in introducing practices that violate General Financial Rules.

Prof. S K Srivastava invented a strange rule of asking tenderees of a work to quote 10% below the quoted value of a tender. This scuttled competitive bidding. NEHU violated General Financial Rules repeatedly which prevents any subjective marking between competitors to decide who should be given the work order. The result is that poor road, poor maintenance of building and residences, water supply without purification and total unhygienic toilets, kitchens in student halls. Works are awarded even on single tender in too many instances clearly showing how the competition is discouraged by Prof. S K Srivastava and his cronies. Addition of premium in estimates could be anything above 60% to 80% of the market costs of materials. After escalating value of a work, they ask for quoting necessarily only 10% below the quoted value to hoodwink the public and the Government to tell them that NEHU is saving money. The whole process of awarding work during five years tenure of Prof. S K Srivastva needs to be thoroughly investigated. As audit reports are not placed in the University court, so there is no transparency in financial transactions of the University under the regime of Prof.Srivastva.

During pandemic, Prof. S K Srivastava removed two Heads of Departments. He issued strictures on a lady scheduled tribe in a wrongful manner and made a hostile work environment for another lady Professor. Both the Professors filed cases in national commission for women and scheduled tribes’ commission.