Jadavpur University on Wednesday wrote to the higher education secretary about “considerable difficulties” it was facing in executing administrative and financial decisions because of the absence of vice-chancellor Buddhadeb Sau since December 27.
The letter signed by registrar Snehamanju Basu said most of the statutory bodies of the university had stopped functioning “in the absence of the vice-chancellor in the office”. Basu listed the essential financial decisions that “are stuck”.
The university has sought an appointment with higher education secretary Manish Jain to discuss the situation and “overcome the turmoil”.
Basu wrote: “The authorised Vice-Chancellor of Jadavpur University is not attending office since December 27. He notified through a press statement on 9th January that he prefers to wait for the decision of the Supreme Court on the issue of the vice-chancellors. Most of the authorities and the statutory bodies of the university have become non-functional under the present circumstances… As a result, the university is facing considerable difficulties in various administrative and financial decisions.”
Metro reported on Tuesday that JU was in financial crisis as the finance committee has not been approving bills or expenditure proposals other than those related to campus exigencies because the VC is not attending office and institution’s highest decision-making body, the executive council, is not meeting.
A meeting with all the heads of departments, deans and senior university officials on Wednesday took note of the difficulties and urged the pro-VC and the registrar to take it up with the education department.
Partha Pratim Biswas, head of the construction engineering department, said: “The crisis is crippling the university.”
The registrar has written that disbursement of payments beyond Rs 75,000 under budgetary heads and different multidisciplinary project grants, for the purchase of equipment and other necessary purposes, are stuck.
Acting finance officer Debaish Pal can only approve expenditures up to Rs 75,000 on his own.
The renewal or annual maintenance contacts for equipment or services, disbursement of testing consultancy-related payments and day-to-day teaching and research activities have been hampered by the stalemate, the letter said.
“In order to overcome this turmoil, I would request you to kindly give us your valued opinion for the smooth running of the university,” it said.
Governor C.V. Ananda Bose, the chancellor of state-aided universities, had ordered Sau’s removal on December 23 for deciding to go ahead with the convocation scheduled the next day.
The government asked Sau to continue as VC but he has not budged.