NEHUTA accuses former VC of passing controversial resolutions

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJuly 28, 2021

The North Eastern Hill University Teachers’ Association (NEHUTA) has accused the former vice chancellor Prof SK Srivastava of passing several controversial resolutions that will affect that university and the newly appointed vice chancellor Prof PS Shukla.

Prof Shukla was appointed on July 22.

In a statement issued here, NEHUTA president Prof XP Mao said, “…the Registrar of NEHU has not brought it out that the new VC Prof PB Shukla is appointed. In spite of term of Prof Srivastva ending, the next day on July 23, Prof Srivastava conducted a meeting of the Executive Council of NEHU and passed several irregular decisions to further damage the University.”

He said that Prof Srivastava was not entitled to preside over the meeting of Executive Council on July 23, as after July 22, he was entitled only to wait to hand over charge of office.

“Instead of waiting to hand over the office, Prof Srivastava passed several controversial resolutions that impact the tenure of the new VC,” Prof Mao said.

He further alleged that the outgoing VC had decided through the EC to appoint one Professor in the slot reserved for the senior most Professor as a member of the Executive Council. The actual senior most Professor is arbitrarily denied the place and the list of seniority is grossly violated by the ex-VC.

“The NEHUTA as a watchdog statutory body of NEHU condemned such gross violation by the ex-VC, as neither has he had the statutory power to preside on the Executive Council nor he has any power to manipulate the seniority list.

When he is not entitled to conduct any recruitment, the EC resolved to outsource recruitment process for filling up 35 non teaching posts. This is the wildest possible violation of University’s recruitment rules by a non-empowered outgoing VC through EC of NEHU,” he said.

“In an even more clandestine manner, the ex-VC, again through an EC resolution, decided to advertise the post of University Engineer on a deputation basis. The recruitment rules do not allow for filling up a permanent or term post without direct recruitment and only when direct recruitment cannot be done after due advertisement and procedures, recruitment on deputation could be done.

This, we suspect, is done with an ulterior motive of keeping the post of University Engineer unfilled so that the Executive Engineer, who is now under CBI scanner, can remain a potential candidate for future filling up of the post on a regular basis. It is then amply clear that for narrow vested interests recruitment rules are flouted in the leadership of Prof Srivastava,” he added.

The NEHUTA president said that the already existing deeper malaise that ex Pro VC Professor H.Lamin acted as CVO, as approver of tenders, as participant in procurement and recruitment in total violation of CVC rules and now feeder pillar case is under CBI scanner brings out the malaise of last near six years of mismanagement of the University.

Further, it amounts to admission of gross misdeeds when Prof.S.K.Srivastava created a provision of University bearing his own legal expenses along with TA and DA, after his term is over, as he anticipates legal action on his purportedly illegal acts in the last controversial EC meeting held after his term was over, he said.

He further alleged that it seems that the EC has not been informed of facts about queries made from the President of India as the Visitor concerning correction of wrong dates of promotion given to some Professors of the University and drew a closure on the matter without any reason. The same EC under the chairmanship of ex-VC Srivastava earlier corrected dates of some Professors selectively.

The NEHUTA stated to the ex-VC that he shall remain liable for this violation of EC’s past line of action. Especially the malafide intent of not adhering to a directive from the Visitor becomes more glaring as those select ones who were benefitted from correction of anomalous dates of promotion are not impacted, while in exactly similar cases, this betrayal and inconsistent denial impacts at least 12 more Professors.

The NEHUTA said that it would take the matter to its justiciable point.

In his nearly six years of gross mismanagement of the university, these very last acts speak volume on the nature of his regime. As he miserably failed to recruit even a single teacher in his tenure, his only claim to infamy remains some non-functional MoUs and some VIP optics. It is because of gross violation of Act, statute and rules in almost every academic, administrative and financial matter that the once premier university now plunged into an era of free fall. History shall also be unkind to those insiders who supported such failed and mismanaged regime of Prof Srivastava.

It is ironic to see that the pro VC Prof.H.Lamin, who presides over the building committee approves his own decisions in matters of construction as the VC , an example of how rules have been bent.

Meanwhile, the NEHUTA has also sought for a high powered impartial enquiry by the Ministry of Education in all these misdeeds of Prof Srivastava and his sycophants so that skeletons are out of the cupboard.

“It is utmost necessity to start only after removing the misdeeds of the earlier regime.The NEHUTA stands with the new perspective with the shift of power with the hope that Prof

Shukla as the new VC would be able to run an inclusive administration for the good of the University,” Prof Mao said.