All do not seem to be well with our universities. A couple of days ago a few Deans of Dibrugarh University have tendered their resignation. Allegations of corruption pointed at the highest level have crippled the functioning of Bodoland University. Gauhati University is yet to have a new Vice-Chancellor after the term of the incumbent Vice-Chancellor has come to an end.
Bodoland University, situated near Kokrajhar, in fact, has been in the news for the wrong reasons for quite some time now. There have been some very serious allegations against the Vice-Chancellor. Likewise, the visit of state Governor Jagdish Mukhi to the Bodoland University a couple of weeks ago had raked up a fresh controversy, especially with Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) chief Hagrama Mohilary itself airing his dissatisfaction. Governor Mukhi, who had visited the university in his capacity as its Chancellor, had allegedly turned out the BTC Chief from a meeting in the university because the latter was not invited to attend it. Governor Mukhi had reportedly said that it was not a political meeting but an academic one which did not require the presence of political leaders like Hagrama Mohilari.
But what is worse, a section of the media has been regularly reporting about alleged misappropriation of funds in the Bodoland University, with the finger of suspicion pointed in most cases at the incumbent Vice-Chancellor. Even as these allegations continue, the issue has reached the State Assembly, with the BPF legislators accusing Governor Mukhi of indulging in what has been termed as “divisive politics.” Incidentally, the term of the present Vice-Chancellor of Bodoland University, like that of the incumbent Vice-Chancellor of Gauhati University, has already expired, and that the Governor, in his capacity as Chancellor, had permitted him to continue in office as “acting” Vice-Chancellor, which the BPF does not want.
The stalemate, arising out of strikes and the stand taken by the powerful BPF, has meanwhile taken a toll on the valuable academic life of hundreds of students, especially those pursuing various courses in the campus. In modern times, it is not advisable that strikes and protests should disrupt valuable academic career of students. Whatever complaint the BPF has against the Governor and the out-going Vice-Chancellor, whatever issue the students and teachers of the university have, can be and should be sorted out without disturbing the students for even one more day.
Likewise, the issues arising out of some reported difference of opinion between the new Vice-Chancellor of Dibrugarh University and some senior professors should also be sorted out amicably without vitiating the academic atmosphere of the campus. The state government should also speed up the process of selecting and appointing a new Vice-Chancellor in Gauhati University. Going by media reports, the academic and administrative environment in the Assam Agricultural University (AAU) in Jorhat too is not very good. There are reports of dissatisfaction over the style of functioning of the present Vice-Chancellor who had received an extension of his term much to the dissatisfaction of a section of senior faculty members. Things are also said to be brewing inside Cotton University, which is facing a lot of internal administrative issues, including the shortage of faculty, reported turning down of appointment of new faculty members by the Governor, and a verbal direction to stop availing the services of contractual faculty members, among other issues.
These are not good news from four of the leading universities of the state. That the environment in the central universities – Tezpur University and Assam University (Silchar) – is also not very good had come to light recently when statistics revealed by the University Grants Commission (UGC) had shown that a large number of posts of Professors, Associate Professors and other faculty members are lying vacant for quite a long period.
Will the paper mills really reopen?
The employees of two giant public sector paper mills of the country – one located at Jagiroad near Guwahati and the other located at Panchgram near Silchar – are not in a mood to accept the Assam government’s announcement that the two mills would be revived. Assam industry minister Chandra Mohan Patowari had informed the state assembly on Thursday that the Centre had prepared a Rs 1900-crore revival package for the two paper mills owned by Hindustan Paper Corporation Ltd, and that the process would have begun by now but for a litigation pending in the Company Law Board. The revival package apparently has been prepared by the Union ministry for heavy industries. Patowari also informed the Assembly that the state government has pressed the Centre for releasing the outstanding liabilities of the employees at the earliest. Such an announcement has not come for the first time. Not many months ago, industry minister Patowari had announced that the head office of HPC Ltd was shifted to Guwahati. No newspaper or television news channel reporter has been able to find out the location of that office in Guwahati till today. Likewise, there have been several announcements regarding the state government asking the Centre to clear the outstanding liabilities of the HPC employees. But while the employees and the people of Assam get to hear about such requests, what people have begun to believe is that such requests either do not reach the Union government or such requests simply find place in the waste baskets. Families of hundreds of employees of the two giant paper mills meanwhile continue to starve for no fault of theirs.