The higher education department has empowered the pro-vice chancellor of Jadavpur University to hold a meeting of the university’s working committee — a meeting usually chaired by the vice-chancellor.

Following the governor’s removal of the officiating VC in March and with no replacement yet appointed, the university had sought permission from the education department to entrust the responsibility of holding working committee meetings to the pro-VC.

Indrajit Banerjee, the acting registrar, said the state government granted the permission on Tuesday.

The working committee has the power to pass requisitions up to ₹3 lakh, clear pension-related issues and other administrative decisions.

A JU official said as the appointment of full-term VCs in 17 out of 34 state-aided universities have been in a limbo following a difference of opinion between the government and the governor, who is the ex-officio chancellor of the state universities, over the panel of recommended names, the university had sought permission so that some of the administrative duties could be discharged.

“We wrote to the education department about a month ago, seeking permission that the pro-vice chancellor, Amitabha Datta, be entrusted with the power to convene meetings of the working committee. The department granted the permission on Tuesday,” acting registrar Banerjee told Metro.

A JU official said since they cannot hold meetings of the executive council — the university’s highest decision-making body — because of the absence of a VC, a meeting of the working committee was imperative.

“If we cannot clear the bills, the payment of vendors will be held up....The pensioners would also suffer if their files were not processed. Since the removal of the officiating VC, Bhaskar Gupta... there has been an administrative breakdown. Through the working committee, we hope to break the deadlock to some extent.”

Chancellor C.V. Ananda Bose removed Gupta on March 28.

A higher education official said, Gupta, now a VC of a private university, featured at the top of a panel of three candidates — drawn by the Supreme Court appointed search committee and set in order of preference by chief minister Mamata Banerjee — for the post of a full-term VC at JU.