Srinagar, Apr 6: Academics at the National Institute of Technology, Srinagar, have shot off “letters of protest” to the Board of Governors and the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development accusing the NIT authorities of “mishandling the academic and administrative affairs” in the Institute.
In the communications, addressed to the secretary (Higher Education) MHRD and BOG chairman, the NIT Teachers Society, an amalgam of teachers from different departments, have expressed strong resentment against the “deteriorating condition” of the Institute. “All the members want to express their anguish and concern over the mishandling of the administrative and academic affairs of the Institute by the I/C director,” the letters, copies of which are with Greater Kashmir, read.
The letters, signed by the Society’s secretary and president, have been shot after deliberating the issues confronting the NIT at the General Body and Executive Committee meetings held on 18-03-2010 and 11-03-2010 respectively.
The Society has accused the director of brining the activities in the Institute to a standstill by “sabotaging research and development schemes, non-implementation of the CAS in favour of the faculty, violation and non-implementation of BOG resolutions, vindictive and revengeful attitude, and hiding the vital information about professors’ seniority under the Right to Information Act.”
Interestingly, the letters have been shot barely few days after the Central Bureau of Investigation held an inquiry into the appointment of teachers in the Institute. “In the past one year, the deterioration of the Institute has progressed exponentially resulting in frustration among the faculty members,” read the letters, also dispatched to all the Heads of the Departments for ‘wide publicity’, NIT chairman and the Registrar.
Insiders say academics have become a casualty in the Institute for the past few months, causing anguish among the student fraternity as well.
“We are facing burning issues pertaining to hostel accommodation, up-gradation of laboratories and other academic matters. But there is nobody to listen to us,” said a senior faculty member, wishing not to be named. “The authorities are discouraging the newly submitted research and developmental projects and freezing the already approved ones.”
The letters have asked the MHRD and BOG to get the list of candidates selected for MPhil and PhD programmes released, as the same has been withheld for the past one year. “Your kind help is solicited to address these burning issues so that a national asset doesn’t lose its glory for which it is known the world-over,” the letters read.
Students believe that the existing classrooms and hostel facilities were inadequate. “There is a total chaos in the Institute. We are unable to work properly in the absence of adequate infrastructure in labs and classrooms. When we approach the authorities, they promise a lot, but do nothing. The Institute is in a terrible mess,” said a group of students from Civil Engineering Department.
Sources said the academics were at loggerheads with the administrators over some more issues including dearth of faculty in different departments, partial implementation of the 6th Pay Commission recommendations, and the alleged misbehaviour with senior academics by the authorities.
When contacted, the NIT Registrar, Firdous Ahmad Wani, said, “You better talk to the concerned parties. Those who have levelled the allegations, and those against whom they have been levelled. That is all I can tell you on the issue.”
The NIT director didn’t respond to repeated calls from Greater Kashmir.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 6 Apr 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 6 Apr 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 7 Apr 2010 00:00:00 IST