Srinagar: The authorities at Amar Singh College have assigned multiple charges to a single assistant professor of the Botany Department to run the affairs of the institution.
The move has not only raised questions over distribution of work in the college but also added burden of additional assignment on the professor.
The college administration has over-burdened a single professor of the Botany Department by appointing him as warden of the college hostel, in-charge college guesthouse besides being incharge of academic arrangements, and incharge exams.
The professor is also appointed as Assistant Coordinator IGNOU and incharge NCC.
“It is not humanly possible for one man to do justice with all these assignments simultaneously. A proper mechanism should be followed for distribution of work,” a professor said, wishing not to be named.
He said that giving all assignments to one man not only hints at favouritism but also raises questions on the competence of other professors of the college.
“We do not level any allegation of corruption or any misconduct but our point is that work should be equally distributed to run the college affairs smoothly,” the professor said.
Recently, a complaint was filed against this professor for drawing HRA illegally despite putting up at the college hostel in the capacity of the warden.
In wake of this, the department had also sought a report from the Principal Amar Singh College.
The report submitted by the college principal exonerated the professor as the report mentioned that the professor was entitled for the HRA.
As per the report submitted by the college, he joined the college as Assistant Professor Botany in December 2019 and was designated as caretaker of Boys Hostel, Amar Singh College.
“The duty assigned to the officer was in addition to his normal duties to manage and monitor the smooth functioning of the hostel,” the report reads.
“The accommodation meant for the caretaker lies in the hostel block itself without any extra standard facilities entitled to the officer. As per the government Order No Edu-Coll/PF/604/Elect dated July 31, 2009, the hostel caretaker is entitled for HRA,” the college report reads.
Principal Amar Singh College Prof Bashir Ahmad Rather told Greater Kashmir that Prof Hilal Ahmad Lone was given charge of the hostel due to his experience in previous colleges.
“We give charges to the people on the basis of their competence but because of internal problems, such people are not allowed to work,” he said.
However, the principal said he would make immediate changes in this regard if his decision of giving multiple assignments to Assistant Prof Lone had created any problems in the college.
“No one stays free of cost at the guest house. Few academic arrangements of far-off places put up in the college who will pay the genuine rent at the end of the month,” he said.
The principal said that all the decisions are taken on merit and he always remains on toes to ensure that the teaching faculty attends their classes on time.
Meanwhile, Assistant Prof Lone told Greater Kashmir that he had been given multiple assignments by the principal of the college.
“Prof Mujahid was looking after the examination section and I was his assistant, but on August 30, 2022, he was promoted as college principal and I am continuing there. I am handling NCC as I have done a three-month defense course which other people in the college have not done,” he said. “I was appointed as Assistant Coordinator IGNOU for a year and his term will end in December this year. I have no authority on who can stay at our guesthouse and who cannot. Our college principal has that authority. I don’t know why people are complaining against me. If there are any issues, our college principal can speak on it.”