Chandigarh, Sep 08: The Inder Kumar Gujral Punjab Technical University (IKG-PTU), Kapurthala, will get a regular vice-chancellor after more than two-and-a- half years with the Punjab government shortlisting eight candidates for the final interview scheduled on Saturday.
The shortlisted candidates will appear before the selection panel formed by the government under the chairmanship of former V-C of IKG-PTU Dr SK Salwan, who has remained the V-C of the university during the previous Congress regime. Dr Arun Kumar Grover, V-C, Panjab University, Chandigarh, and Dr Sarit Kumar Dass, Director, IIT-Ropar, are other members of the panel.
The panel will recommend top three names for the post to the government after the interview.
Interestingly, the list of shortlisted persons includes big names like renowned educationalist MP Punia, former director of National Institute of Technical Teacher’s Training and Research (NITTTR), Chandigarh, who is now vice-chairman of the prestigious All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
Prof Lalit Awasthi, director, National Institute of Technology (NIT), Jalandhar, is another prominent name in the list.
Notably, Punia and Awasthi have not applied for the post in the fresh applications invited by the Congress government even as they were serious contenders for the post during the selection process adopted during the previous SAD-BJP regime.
Sources said both are now hesitant to appear for the interview, keeping in view their present prestigious postings.
Under the SAD-BJP regime, a selection panel, headed by then chief secretary Sarvesh Kaushal, had shortlisted Punia as top contender among a list of three candidates.
But since the then technical education minister Madan Mohan Mittal was strongly opposed to Kaushal’s decision-making, Punia’s name was not given the go-ahead by the government. Punia was director, NITTTR, at that time.
“Both Punia and Awasthi are on postings which are no less than V-C of any university, so it’s highly unlikely that they would appear in the interview,” a senior official of the technical education department said.
From the IKG-PTU campus, the only name selected for the final interview is Prof AP Singh, dean, research and development. The candidature of another senior dean, NP Singh, who was also trying hard for the post, has been rejected. The name of Sanjay Marwaha of Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology (SLIET) Longowal, is also missing in the final list.
Other prominent names include Prof BK Ratan, former chairman of the chemical engineering department of Panjab University, Chandigarh. Ratan was also part of the panel of top three contenders chosen for the post under the previous regime.
If Punia and Awasthi fail to appear before the interview panel, Ratan’s strong academic record can give him an edge over other contenders, expert feel.
Dr Rajnish Arora was the last regular vice-chancellor of the university. His term had ended in December 2014, following which the charge of the V-C was given to the secretary, technical education. on January 14, 2015.
The tussle between the technical education minister and the chief secretary was the main reason as to why the appointment of V-C kept hanging fire under the SAD-BJP government.
BLURB Varsity to get regular vice-chancellor after more than two-and-a-half years
LIST OF CANDIDATES
1. MP Punia, vice-chairman, AICTE
2. Lalit Awasthi, director, NIT, Jalandhar
3. Ajay Sharma, director, NIT, Delhi
4. BK Ratan, former head of the chemical engineering department of Panjab University, Chandigarh
5. Rakesh Sehgal, director, NIT, Hamirpur
6. Yogender Yadav, former director, Swaran Singh National Institute of Renewal Energy, Kapurthala
7. KK Raina, former deputy director, Thapar University, Patiala
8. AP Singh, dean research and development,
News Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com
