By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, May 7: The youth wing of the Voice of the People Party (VPP) on Thursday sought clarification from Prof Sumarbin Umdor, Pro Vice-Chancellor of the North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong Campus, over the fate of the institute’s 2023 recruitment advertisement for non-teaching posts under Group A, Group B, Group C and Group D.
A delegation, led by VPP’s state youth wing president Marbud Dkhar, met the Pro-VC following complaints from the applicants regarding the delay in conducting written examinations and interviews for the advertised vacancies.
After the meeting, Dkhar told reporters that the Pro-VC told them that although the advertisement was issued in November 2023, the recruitment process could not be completed and has now lapsed. As a result, the university will have to issue a fresh advertisement to fill the vacant posts, he said.
According to him, the Pro-VC also told them that the examinations and interviews could not be held as the functioning of the university was disrupted by internal unrest that erupted in 2024, which delayed the recruitment process and eventually, brought it to a halt.
During the meeting, the delegation sought details on the number of the applicants. According to the Pro-VC, around 25,000 candidates had applied for the Group C posts alone. The vacancies include posts such as Lower Division Assistant, Section Officer and other non-teaching positions.
The delegation also sought clarification on whether the application fees deposited by the candidates would be refunded. According to Dkhar, the Pro-VC assured that the university would refund the money.
He said issuance of a fresh advertisement would require the approval of the Executive Council (EC). He noted that the last EC meeting was convened in Delhi by Vice-Chancellor Prabha Shankar Shukla, a move that was opposed by a majority of stakeholders.
Dkhar said as NEHU is presently functioning without a Vice-Chancellor and a Registrar, it has created administrative difficulties for the Pro-VC in carrying forward the day-to-day functioning of the university.
He lamented that a major Central university in the city is facing such administrative uncertainty.
The VPP youth leader further said that the delegation was told that the present Vice-Chancellor is due to retire in July. He expressed hope that the appointment of the new Vice-Chancellor would help pending matters move forward smoothly.
The VPP youth wing assured that it would continue to follow up on the matter of recruitment in the interest of the thousands of applicants awaiting clarity on the process.
