NEHU bodies seek fully functional VC’s office

SHILLONG, Jan 29: The three associate bodies of the North-Eastern Hill University—NEHU Teachers’ Association, NEHU Students’ Union and NEHU Non-teaching Staff Association—on Wednesday expressed concern that the office of the Vice Chancellor is not fully functional now after regular VC Prof Prabha Shankar Shukla went on long leave.
In a letter addressed to acting VC Prof Nirmalendu Saha, they pointed out that the NEHU Act and Statutes and the Ministry of Education directives say the university should not be dysfunctional in the absence of the regular VC.
“However, you have not been able to convene the meeting of the Executive Council since November 15, 2024 after the regular vice chancellor was forced to go on leave which has since been extended continuously for 87 days now. As per rule, you have chaired and conducted the Academic Council meeting on the 4th of December, 2024 successfully as the acting vice chancellor,” they wrote in the letter.
Moreover, they pointed out that the erstwhile Ministry of Human Resource Development (now Ministry of Education), Department of Higher Education letter, dated 7th August 2014 to the VCs of all central universities, reaffirmed that the acting VC can exercise administrative or financial power vested on the full-fledged incumbent of the post as per Rule 12(2) of CCS (CCA) Rules, 1965. The associations observed that Prof Saha has not conducted the Executive Council meeting despite the statutory provisions which empower the acting VC to discharge the duties of the VC under the NEHU Act and its Statutes and the Ministry of Education directives.
According to them, this crippled the university’s functioning at multiple levels and might result in NEHU being defaulter on many issues.
They said they failed to understand what stops the acting VC from convening/chairing the meeting of the Executive Council which has to take decisions on several important issues for the welfare of the university.
They observed that convening/chairing the meeting of the Academic Council/Executive Council/ etc is not the statutory power of the VC since it is the body which decides on any matter. They said the VC cannot take a unilateral decision in such meetings.
“Therefore, in light of above and the seriousness of the matters, we would like to request you to convene the meeting of the Executive Council immediately failing which we will be forced to explore other options to ensure that the office of the Vice Chancellor is fully functional in the larger interest of the university,” the three NEHU bodies warned through the letter.