Magadh University interim vice-chancellor RK Khandelwal takes charge on Monday. Picture by Suman

Taking charge as Magadh University interim vice-chancellor, divisional commissioner R.K. Khandelwal on Monday asked teachers and employees fond of chewing betel to keep it out of the campus.

Khandelwal was appointed interim VC by governor-cum-chancellor of universities D.Y. Patil through a notification on Friday evening.

When he arrived at the university headquarters on Monday, the first thing that caught his eyes was the stain of betel juice on the walls of the building.

“Look at that,” he said. “Does this look like a university building?”

He then directed teaching and non-teaching employees fond of chewing betel not to spit on the walls of the university buildings.

“Don’t spit on the walls, it is a very bad habit,” he said.

Teachers, however, claimed that they and their non-teaching colleagues at the headquarters were not responsible for the betel stains.

“Magadh University has campuses in seven districts (Gaya, Nalanda, Patna, Aurangabad, Arwal, Jehanabad and Nawada). A large number of people from these districts come to the university campus regularly and a lot of them spit betel juice on the walls,” said Sunil Singh, the former president of Magadh University Postgraduate Teachers’ Association.

Asked if the guards of the university could keep an eye out for such people, the senior zoology teacher added: “The guards already have a lot on their hands. Instead, if signboards are put up asking people not to spit, it would be very effective.”

Campus cleanliness was not the only thing on the interim VC’s mind. “Dealing with financial irregularities and regularising the academic sessions are also important issues,” he said.

“The financial irregularities at the university would be sorted out on a priority basis,” said Khandelwal.

He added: “We would also focus on streamlining the academic session by conducting examinations, declaring results and providing degrees to students on time. We would also do whatever we can for the benefit of the students and the teachers.”

Khandelwal is not the first divisional commissioner to take charge as the VC of the university. Before him, five others — J.C. Kundra (April 22 to July 12, 1980), P.S. Cheema (September 4 to October 13, 1988), T. Nand Kumar (October 14 to December 12, 1988), A.B. Prasad (June 26 to December 1, 1993) and Chintu Naik (December 2, 1993 to March 17, 1995) — have acted as university administration heads.

Teachers of the university, however, want one of their profession rather than a bureaucrat to be the VC.

“Though the new interim VC is highly qualified (he has a PhD), it would be better if a senior teacher serves as the vice-chancellor,” said zoology teacher Singh.