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Ravneet Singh
Tribune News Service
Patiala, February 8
Punjabi University has yet again postponed the Syndicate meeting. Officials said it had been postponed to first conduct a meeting of the finance committee as two Syndicate meetings can’t be held in a month. Professors and members of the Syndicate today expressed dissent over the matter.
Registrar Manjit Singh Nijjar today said the university planned to first hold the meeting for the university budget, which could then be passed in the Syndicate meeting. He said: “We are not holding the Syndicate meeting on February 11 as was decided earlier. It has been postponed as we have to hold a meeting of the finance committee first.”
The Registrar said the university could not hold two Syndicate meetings in a month. He said: “Other agendas, along with the budget, will be taken up together in the Syndicate meeting. We will probably hold the meeting for the budget by February 17. After this, the Syndicate meeting will be held within this month.”
The university has earlier postponed the Syndicate meeting a number of times. While officials claimed this was due to the unavailability of SK Sandhu, Additional Chief Secretary, Higher Education and Languages, the rules demand availability of minimum 1/3rd members to hold the meeting. Also, the Chief Secretary is an equal member of the Syndicate.
The university held only 1 meeting of the Syndicate in the entire financial year till now. The meeting was held on October 9 when several important matters were left unattended. Members of the Syndicate had then claimed they had decided to hold a Syndicate meeting every month but failed to do so.
Meanwhile, action against erring officials on the basis of probe reports compiled by retired IAS and IPS officials are gathering dust. The recent promotions also need to be cleared in the Syndicate meeting.
Reacting on the issue, a senior professor, Dr Pushpinder Singh Gill, said: “There is no rule in the university which states that two Syndicate meetings can’t be held in a month. Postponing the meeting is aimed at delaying the entire process of taking action in all matters.”
A member of the Syndicate nominated by the state government said: “University officials are not holding the meetings deliberately. Employees of the university are suffering because of the delay. This is dictatorship. Officials are politically inclined and are violating the rules of the university.”
Promotions yet to be cleared
Recently, the university promoted a number of staff, including teaching and non-teaching officials. The decisions for promotion are to be cleared through the Syndicate for final implementation.
Files gathering dust
Action on the basis of investigations into allegations of hiring ineligible teachers in the university, appointment of teachers with fake SC/BC certificates, misappropriation in paper purchase, answer sheet purchase and purchase of software for the examination department has been pending since 2017. The probe was ordered by former officiating Vice-Chancellor Anurag Verma. Vice-Chancellor BS Ghuman had reordered the probe in February last year. Since then, the files have been gathering dust.
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