Questions raised over GNDU working

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 17

Patti MLA Harminder Singh Gill has raised issues on the working of Guru Nanak Dev University under Vice-Chancellor Jaspal Singh Sandhu.

On February 14, Gill wrote a letter to the Vice Chancellor and questioned about the additional charge of registrar being given to Prof KS Kahlon, appointments of teachers to deans, directors, decrease in number of poor students given to fee exemption.

Harminder Singh Gill stated in his letter that it had come to my notice that the university advertised post of registrar on 2.11.2016 vide advertisement No 5/2016 and Prof KS Kahlon, professor in the department of computer science of the university, was one of the applicants for this position. The post was advertised three months before the date relinquishment of charge of the registrar by then registrar Prof SS Dhillon. The selection was intentionally delayed by the then Vice Chancellor Prof AS Brar and was not completed till the date the then registrar relinquished the charge on 3.2. 2017. By that time, the election for the Punjab Legislative Assembly was announced and code of conduct became effective.

An additional charge of Registrar was given to Prof KS Khalon, who was an applicant of the said post. As a matter of principle, the temporary arrangement of handling over of the additional charge of post of registrar ought to have come to end after election process. However, Prof KS Kahlon was allowed to continue with additional charge of registrar.

Harminder Singh Gill, said, “Being a member of Senate and Syndicate, I have sent reminder to him on important issues of the varsity. There has been a delay in process of appointment of a regular registrar. The additional charge has been extended beyond time. Moreover, the appointments of dean and directors must be made on seniority basis. The fee exemption of 10 per cent given to poor students in each course has been decreased to 5 per cent,” he added.

The Vice-Chancellor of Guru Nanak Dev University, Jaspal Singh Sandhu, could not be contacted despite several attempts. Director Public Relations Praveen Puri refused to comment on the issue.