By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 18: A Joint Action Committee (JAC) comprising the NEHU Teachers’ Association (NEHUTA) and NEHU Non-Teaching Employees’ Association (NEHUNSA) has been formed to “protect the university from the irregular acts” of vice-chancellor, Prabha Shankar Shukla.
The JAC has decided to initiate immediate action on issues such as the convening of a requisitioned academic council meeting to discuss FYUP in colleges affiliated with the NEHU.
The JAC demanded within a week the removal of Rohit Prasad, “arbitrarily appointed by Prof Shukla by violating all the rules” to allegedly grant him a high financial package and other undue benefits and relieving of the section officer from the VC’s office. It also said the teachers and staff should not be used at all for administrative works that are not attached to their substantive posts.
JAC chairman, Lakhon Kma on Wednesday said the two organisations under the banner of the JAC would jointly take up issues afflicting the university, especially the career of lakhs of students who would be affected in view of the unapproved Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP).
He said the JAC has been constituted according to the constitutions of both the statutory associations of teachers and non-teaching employees in a meeting held recently. All issues of common concern have been brought under its purview.
Prof Kma said the JAC is open to all stakeholders who share the same concerns about the future of NEHU and the students of Meghalaya, the northeastern region and beyond who are studying in NEHU and its affiliated colleges.
He said it is expected that stakeholders such as METTA-NEHU, MCTA, NEHUSU and other student, social, and cultural bodies would join its ranks to mitigate serious irregularities committed by the incumbent VC to protect the future of NEHU.
“We want to ensure that the university is not sacrificed at the irregular and un-statutory acts of by violating all established procedures, norms, and ideals that have evolved in NEHU in the last 50 years,” Prof Kma, who is also the president of NEHUTA said.
He said the JAC in its extended meeting discussed issues such as the gross violation of the NEHU Act, 1973, on too many occasions and correlated accumulated systematic violations of statutes, ordinances, rules, and regulations by throwing to the winds the rule-based framework within which NEHU is required to function.
According to him, the primary motive for being autocratic, arrogant, and abrasive on the part of the VC lies in not adhering to the collective wisdom of elected statutory bodies only to serve his ego by flouting all norms in the university.
“Like the misrule of his predecessor, SK Srivastava, the current VC started flouting the norms, resulting in serious violations of the administrative and academic affairs of the university,” Prof Kma said.
He said the JAC kept this in mind to flag issues such as statutory violations, infringement of the Academic Council, non-adherence to democratic and well-established procedures of the university, non-functioning of the university facilities such as the health centre and labs, delays in the appointment of the registrar, finance officer, university engineer, director of the College Development Council, and others.
He further said the JAC would raise the urgent demand of filling up all vacant non-teaching positions so that the current stalemate in the university’s functioning is removed, and the corrupt officials from the last regime and the current one are replaced.
“Arbitrary and unilateral functioning of the incumbent VC has damaged the very institutional functioning of the university. Inordinate delays in the clearance of files, bills, non-delegation of powers, and many such issues were raised as big concerns by the JAC in its meeting. It was decided that the JAC shall pursue resolution of every such issue that stands in the way of the right course of functioning of the university,” Prof Kma said.
He said the JAC wants Prof Shukla to correct the wrongs and bring the university back on the right course according to the NEHU Act, statutes, ordinances, regulations, and rules.
“We shall impress upon all the stakeholders to pursue a line of democratic action to make the incumbent VC listen to the voices in Meghalaya and attend immediately to the call of accountability, the purpose for which he was appointed as the VC. We would also implore everyone for justice and academic peace in the best interest of the NEHU and all its stakeholders at the state and national levels,” Prof Kma said.