The Hindu : Karnataka News : `Appointment of VC brooks no delay'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 04, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka

`Appointment of VC brooks no delay'

By Our Staff Correspondent

TUMKUR, FEB. 3. Thirty-two legislators have jointly written to the Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, urging him to take immediate steps to streamline the functioning of Tumkur University.

C. Channigappa, Minister for Sericulture and Tumkur district in-charge, who was instrumental in mustering the support of the legislators, said it has been done to keep up the pressure on the Government to act swiftly on the issue.

Mr. Channigappa said it has become necessary to clear the confusion among the students of 69 colleges affiliated to the university, and remove the anxiety among the people of the district over the future of the university.

Mr. Channigappa on Tuesday made a promise to the members of the Tumkur University Protection Committee that the Government will appoint the Vice-Chancellor for the university in two days.

The deadline has ended and no action seems to have been taken on the issue.

The legislators have, in their letter, urged Mr. Singh to name the Vice-Chancellor and appoint a Registrar and a Chief Accounts Officer for the university immediately to set in motion the process of streamlining its academic functions.

The legislators, in a separate letter to Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister, have sought an allocation of Rs. 35 crores for the university in the Budget. They pointed out that the Government has granted 300 acres for the university campus and work on it is to begin.

The committee held its general body meeting here today. C.N. Narasimha Murthy, who presided over the meeting, said it has been decided to observe a Tumkur district bandh on February 15 if the Government fails to act decisively in the matter. From then on the agitation will continue till the Government fulfilled all the demands of the committee.

Demands

The committee office-bearers, Prof. Murthy said, have forwarded a list of demands to the Government through Mr. Channigappa, and they include filling of the three top posts, setting up a board of studies and a board of examinations, allocation of funds in the Budget, and introduction of new postgraduate courses. The committee has insisted upon the Government to remove the hurdles in the way of launching work on the varsity campus.

G.M. Srinivasaiah, secretary of the committee, said the officials of Tumkur University, in the absence of Vice-Chancellor, have failed to prioritise its needs. Furniture has been procured although there is no room to keep them, let alone use them. Members of the committee criticised the Government for neglecting the varsity, which has been bedevilled with problems.

The Democratic Youth Federation of India, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, and Vichararanga, a forum of intellectuals, have promised their support to the committee.

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