The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Cusat Syndicate meet cancelled due to lack of quorum

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Friday, Jun 04, 2004

Kerala

Kerala - Kochi

Cusat Syndicate meet cancelled due to lack of quorum

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI, JUNE 3. The Syndicate meeting of the Cochin University of Science and Technology(Cusat) was called off today due to lack of quorum, as the majority of members, including MLAs of the ruling front, failed to turn up.

It is for the first time in the past several years that the Syndicate of the university has failed to meet for lack of quorum. Of the 17 members, only five including the Vice-Chancellor in-charge, Cyriac Thomas, turned up for the meeting. Other members who came for the meeting included the Registrar in-charge A. Aravindakshan, N. Chandrasekharan Pillai (Dean of Law), and the MLAs, K.C. Joseph and Lopez Mathew.

It is learnt that majority of the members had abstained from today's meeting as a mark of protest against some of the steps taken by Dr. Thomas, who had been given charge of the post after the resignation of the former Vice-Chancellor, N. Unnikrishnan Nair.

The absence of the MLAs is said to be in response to the delay in the appointment of Pro-Vice-Chancellor in the university. The Chancellor and Governor, T.N.Chaturvedi, has not made the appointment despite the Government nominating a senior faculty member of the university to the post.

Dr.Thomas had been holding charge of the post of Vice-Chancellor since March when Dr. Nair went on a long leave. The Chancellor had also issued an order that Dr. Thomas would hold the post of Vice-Chancellor, Cusat, till a permanent appointment was made.

Most of the Syndicate members are learnt to have protested against the "urgency" with which the today's meeting was convened. According to sources, the Syndicate members received the official intimation of the meeting only on June 1. It is learnt that the members who failed to turn up for today's meeting had pointed out that they should have been intimated about the meeting at least 10 days before the date of convening the meeting as per the university rules.

Sources said that a section of the members had also registered their protest against the Vice-Chancellor's decision not to convene the Syndicate meeting in May. The Syndicate meet that was scheduled on May 20 could not be held due to the death of the former Chief Minister, E. K. Nayanar.

A section of the Syndicate members pointed out that the meeting could have been convened after Dr. Nair resumed the office on May 27. They had pointed out that this would have given Dr. Nair an opportunity to meet all Syndicate members before leaving office on May 31. Meanwhile, senior university officials said that some of the members had informed the Vice-Chancellor about their inability to attend today's meeting.

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