Modi: Fresh salvo

Patna/Gaya, June 16: The standoff between the government and the chancellor’s office came to the fore once again today as deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi raised the question of appointment of the vice-chancellors of Magadh and Veer Kuer Singh universities.

Governor Devanand Konwar is the chancellor of the state’s universities. No comment was forthcoming from his office.

The deputy chief minister’s remarks assumes importance as recently the chancellor’s office had returned the Bihar University Amendment Bill 2011 to the government citing technical reasons. The Assembly, in its last session on March 30, passed the Bihar Universities Amendment Bill 2011, which aims at curtailing the powers of the chancellor vis-à-vis higher education.

Modi, who was speaking at his weekly janata darbar, said: “There has been a big anomaly in the appointment of vice-chancellors in both Magadh University and Veer Kuer Singh University.”

In February this year, Patna High Court stripped the powers of the vice-chancellors of Magadh University, Bodhgaya, and Veer Kuer Singh University, Ara, till further orders.

“Due to seizing of the financial powers of VCs, the staff and teachers of these two universities have not received their salaries for the past three months, though the state government has given the money to the university for this purpose. Also, students from these universities are losing job opportunities in the absence of certificates,” Modi said.

Modi said that human resource development minister P.K. Shahi had written to the governor that either the commissioner or any other able authority be appointed as acting VC, so that regular activities of the universities are not affected. However, the commissioners of the respective regions have not been assigned with financial responsibilities of the universities.

The deputy chief minister also appeared to take a safe way out for the government. “The government is also helpless in this regard as the power to appoint the VC of an university rests only with the governor. Even after the high court order, there is neither a permanent VC nor an acting in-charge. Henceforth, I expect that the honourable governor would intervene and resolve this matter at the earliest,” Modi said.

In the absence of the vice-chancellor or any other financially empowered official since May 4, the functioning of Magadh University is in jeopardy. Employees have not been paid their salaries since March. Although the government has released more than Rs 62 crore for the salaries of teaching and non-teaching employees and pensioners, the amount could not be disbursed.