SHILLONG:
The North Eastern Hill University Teachers Association (NEHUTA) and NEHU Non-Teaching Employees Association (NEHUNSA), on October 18, resolved to form the Joint Action Committee (JAC) to save the university from alleged irregular acts of the incumbent Vice-Chancellor Prof PS Shukla.
The JAC is headed by NEHUTA president Prof Lakhon Kma as its chairman and NEHUNSA president Dr Wandondor R Synrem as its co-chairman.
In a statement, the JAC said the panel has been constituted as per the constitutions of both the statutory associations of teachers and non-teaching employees in a meeting held recently and all issues of common concern are brought under its purview.
The JAC said it is open to all stakeholders who aim to share same concerns about future of NEHU and lakhs of students of Meghalaya, the Northeastern region and beyond who are studying in the university and its affiliated colleges.
“It is expected that other stakeholders like MeTTA-NEHU, MCTA, NEHUSU & other student bodies, social and cultural bodies would join its ranks to mitigate serious irregularities committed by incumbent Vice-Chancellor Prof PS Shukla so that institutional future of NEHU is not sacrificed at the irregular and unstatutory acts of the vice-chancellor by violating all established procedures, norms and ideals that NEHU has evolved in last fifty years,” JAC chairman Prof Lakhon Kma said.
He said the JAC in its extended meeting discussed issues like gross violation of NEHU Act, 1973 on too many occasions and correlated accumulated systematic violations of statutes, ordinances, rules and regulations by throwing into winds the rule-based framework within which NEHU is required to function.
“The primary motive of being autocratic, arrogant and abrasive on the part of the vice-chancellor lies in not adhering to collective wisdom of elected statutory bodies only to serve his ego by flouting all norms in the university. Indeed six years of previous incumbent Prof SK Srivastava’s misrule represented the height of such foul acts. The present regime of Prof PS Shukla just started flouting and in no time, as all un-statutory activities lead, it resulted into serious violations in administrative and academic affairs of the university.”
“Keeping this in mind, the JAC listed issues like statutory violations, infringement of the University authority like the Academic Council, etc., non-adherence to democratic and well-established procedures of the University, non-functioning of university facilities such as health centre, labs. etc., delay in appointment in statutory positions-registrar and finance officer and other officials like University engineer and director-college development council,” he said.
The chairman said the JAC also raised the urgent demand of filling up of all vacant non-teaching positions so that current stalemate in university’s functioning is removed; present approach of tolerance to corruption and corrupt officials from last regime and present regime must be changed.
“Arbitrary and unilateral functioning of the incumbent vice-chancellor has brought in such immense damages to the very institutional functioning of the university. Inordinate delay in clearance of files, bills, non-delegation of powers and many such issues were raised as big concerns by the JAC in its meeting,” he said.
Prof Kma also informed that the JAC has decided to initiate immediate action on priority basis on issues like immediate convening of requisitioned academic council meeting to discuss four year undergraduate programme in colleges affiliated to NEHU, removal of Rohit Prasad within a week’s time, who has been arbitrarily appointed by violating all rules by the incumbent vice-chancellor for granting him high financial package and other undue benefits; relieving of the section officer from VC office and to pursue the demand that teachers and technical staff should not be used at all for administrative works which are not otherwise attached to their substantive posts.
“ The JAC wishes that the incumbent VC Prof PS Shukla corrects the wrong course and brings the University back to its right course as per NEHU Act, Statutes, Ordinances, Regulation & Rules and the JAC shall pursue correction of wrong doings to the best of its ability in the interest of the University and the state of Meghalaya, being immediate stakeholder,” he said while adding that the JAC will impress upon all the stakeholders to pursue a line of democratic action to make the incumbent VC listen to million voices from Meghalaya and attend immediately to the call of accountability, the purpose for which he is appointed as vice-chancellor.