Teachers, other staff to go on indefinite strike from today
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Nov 12: Questioning the “false claim” of NEHU Vice Chancellor Prabha Shankar Shukla about their charter of demands, the Joint Action Committee (JAC) said the VC is yet to clarify on the issue relating to the illegal appointment of technical officer/senior consultant, Rohit Prasad.
“Till now, there is no word on the steps taken to remove Prasad. He (the VC) is still silent on the violation of the model UGC Cadre Recruitment Rules, NEHU Act, statutes and ordinances, and other serious violations,” JAC chairman Lakhon Kma said on Sunday.
The VC also did not send any formal letter for talks with the JAC, he said.
Kma sought to know why Shukla went on leave from November 9 to 15 instead of finding ways to resolve the turmoil in the university. “This shows the absolute lack of seriousness on his part,” he said.
“Perhaps, the VC likes to play with the careers of our students and spoil the academic atmosphere of the university,” he added.
The JAC chairman said the VC should have been in the station to ensure the classes were not disrupted, stopped being insensitive toward the welfare of the university, and given a patient hearing to the genuine demands of the JAC.
The VC’s attitude made the JAC decide to launch an indefinite strike starting Monday, he said.
On the issue of the appointment of statutory officers and a university engineer, Kma said the pressure exerted by the JAC led to the scheduling of the interview as reported by a section of the media.
“We would like to condemn in the strongest terms his (Shukla’s) statement in the newspapers that the JAC is making issues out of non-issues,” he said, asking if the illegal appointment of Prasad was a non-issue.
Stating that by illegally appointing him through an act of nepotism and favouritism, Kma said the VC violated the Right to Equality according to Article 14 of the Constitution to deny an opportunity to the eligible educated unemployed youths of Meghalaya and elsewhere in the Northeast.
“Is the violation of the UGC Model CRR and of the NEHU Act, and Statutes and Ordinances a non-issue? He is supposed to be the one guarding the UGC and NEHU rules but has instead violated them on numerous occasions,” he said, adding the Act, Statutes, and Ordinance are not uploaded on the official website of the university.
The JAC chairman also asked how questioning the deteriorating condition of the University Health Centre was a non-issue.
According to him, the VC has shown a complete lack of concern and understanding that medicines not purchased through the Government e-Marketplace led to the delay in the procurement of medicines.
“His inaction on timely appointment made the testing facility close down because of the absence of lab technicians required for it,” he said.
Kma further wondered how the failure to hold regular convocations can be a non-issue.
“The reality is that the VC wants X, Y, Z from Delhi, perhaps his political masters, to attend. Their non-confirmation led to the cancellation of the convocations, affecting the students,” he said.
He, however, said the JAC is pleased to see the VC realising that the teachers are the main stakeholders of the Academic Council after a long period of denial.
He further alleged that the JAC feels the VC is in a “habit of telling a farrago of lies, half-truth and deceit, masquerading as a victim and trying to mislead everyone, but he is fully exposed by now”.
According to him, JAC’s earlier challenge is still valid for an open debate with the VC in the presence of media and public on all these issues.
“Once the illegally and illegitimately appointed technical officer/senior consultant is removed, JAC might be ready to talk on our charter of demands provided there is seriousness and willingness on the part of the VC in resolving the issues in a time-bound manner,” Kma added.