The academicians Thursday termed the government's decision of assigning additional charge of the Vice Chancellor of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agriculture Sciences and Technology, Kashmir (SKUAST-K) to J P Sharma who is VC of SKUAST-Jammu as a "wrong administrative action which would result in derailing the growth and overall development of SKUAST-K".
"One fails to understand why it is taking so long to appoint a permanent VC for the university if a search committee has been constituted more than eight months ago," a professor of SKUAST-K said wishing not to be named.
The professor said assigning additional charge of the VC to a person posted around 300 km from the institution would tell upon the day-to-day affairs of the university besides taking a toll on academics, research and development of the university. "Prof J P Sharma is posted in Jammu division and it is not humanly possible for a person to manage two crucial positions of two universities simultaneously. The government should reconsider its decision and appoint a permanent VC for the university or assign the charges to a senior professor or director within the university," he said.
The search committee constituted by the J&K government in July last year to draw a panel of names for appointment to the post of VC SKUAST-K is yet to start the process.
The committee has not convened any meeting in the last five months after the applications were invited from the candidates for the post of VC of SKUAST-K.
Headed by the Financial Commissioner Arun Kumar Mehta as its convener, the other members of the search committee include Director General (DG) Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR); Chairman UGC or his nominee and VC SKUAST, Jammu.
