VC chair vacant, tech varsity seeks extension of NAAC deadline

Kolkata: The sudden demise of the vice-chancellor of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, popularly known as West Bengal University of Technology (WBUT) Ranjan Bandopadhyay in December has left the insitution in a limbo.
The immediate concern is NAAC accreditation of the university, which had to be completed by December 31, but is still pending.With the VC chair vacant, it has been delayed even further.
The university authorities are worried and have approached the NAAC to extend the deadline for application. The NAAC approval is mandatory for an institution to get funds from the University Grants Commission(UGC) and the Centre.
It has thrown the university authorities in a tizzy forcing officials approaching the accrediting body to extend the time limit for the NAAC approval which is mandatory to bag all funds from the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the centre.
"We have sought an extension citing the reason as the VC's demise. Else the UGC will cancel the 12B status which enables the university to receive central government grants. The university was supposed to complete the application process within December which could not be done due to the long absence of the VC, who was ailing," said a source in WBUT.
Among the various problems that the university is going through, a crucial one is convening of the executive council meeting.Among several other problems which is now ailing the university, one of them is to convene the executive council meeting without any further delay. "The EC was suspended and only one meeting has been held in the past two and a half years. The last one was done in June 2015. Hence several decisions are pending before the council. The day-to-day activities are being carried out on ad-hoc basis because the council meeting has not been held," the source added.
The incident has also put a stop to the recruitment of the 35 teachers which has been long pending. "As per the new University Act, a VC's nominee is required to be present in the panel of interviewing the candidates. Though the shortlisting has been done, no appointment could be made yet. The posts need to be filled up as quickly as possible to receive a good grade in the NAAC inspection. Moreover, the World Bank under Technical Education Quality Improvement Program (TEQIP) has allotted Rs 10 crores to WBUT. Around one-third amount is yet to be spent which calls for immediate action," the source informed.
The state government on Wednesday has forwarded a file to governor and chancellor Kesari Nath Tripathi for approval to appoint pro-vice chancellor of the university, Subrata Dey to take up the charges of the varsity till further appointment of an interim VC.
"The government is unlikely to bring any interim VC as the assembly elections are ahead," informed a senior official at the state secretariat.
"We have asked the accrediting body to extend the deadline and give us some more time as we are still preparing for the process. This will be the first time that we have approached for a NAAC accreditation since according to rule a university must complete six years since establishment to apply. Ranjan Bandopadhyay, the VC of WBUT expired on December 28. We need some time to make the necessary arrangements before applying," said Dey, pro-VC of the university.