Punjab Government initiates steps to appoint regular VCs at 2 tech varsities

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 21

Days after a war of words between former Governor Banwarilal Purohit and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann over ad hoc Vice-Chancellors running most of the state universities, the state government has finally moved to appoint regular VCs at two technical universities.

Officials aware of the matter said the CM had given the go-ahead to the appointment of regular VCs at Sardar Beant Singh State University, Gurdaspur; and Shaheed Bhagat Singh State University, Ferozepur.

The Department of Technical Education and Industrial Training has been asked to put up files pertaining to the two universities.

The board of governors of the respective university will approve the search committee to shortlist candidates before the CM sends the panel to the Governor-cum-Chancellor of the universities.

Of the four such universities, namely IK Gujral Punjab Technical University (PTU), Kapurthala; Maharaja Ranjit Singh PTU, Bathinda; Sardar Beant Singh State University, Gurdaspur; and Shaheed Bhagat Singh State University, Ferozepur; the ones at Bathinda, Gurdaspur and Ferozepur have officiating VCs.

The additional charge of PTU-Bathinda was given to its Dean, Faculty of Sciences, Dr Sandeep Kansal after the matter of non-appointment of VC reached the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

At present, VC of IK Gujral PTU Dr Susheel Mittal holds the additional charge of Sardar Beant Singh State University, Gurdaspur, and Shaheed Bhagat Singh State University, Ferozepur.

The files pertaining to the two universities were pending with the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO). The Department has sought clarification from the government whether it wants to appoint regular VCs or go for the proposed merger of the four technical universities.

After the Ferozepur and Gurdaspur universities were set up during the tenure of the previous Congress government, the issues of their financial viability and the need of four universities in a small state like Punjab were raised. Since 2021-2022, the government has been giving an annual grant of Rs 15 crore to the Gurdaspur and Ferozepur universities.

A four-member committee of experts set up by the government to decide the fate of the two universities had reportedly proposed making the Ferozepur and Gurdaspur universities the campuses of Maharaja Ranjit Singh PTU and IK Gujral PTU, respectively. This, it said, would ensure better academic exposure to the faculty and students of the merged universities. Now, the issue has been settled with the government asking for the appointment of regular VCs.