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| Govt gives a damn to Guv's advice, Crime Branch register FIR | | Establishment of Horticulture University row | | Early Times Report
srinagar, Mar 6: In a bid to seemingly bypass requisite guidelines for establishment of Horticulture University in the state, the government has seemingly given a damn to Governor Narendra Vohra's advice on the issue.
According to informed sources in SKUAST-Kashmir the Governor, who is also the Chancellor of SKUAST-K, at the recently concluded 32nd council meeting, stressed for the need of a horticulture policy in the state vis-à-vis strengthening the faculty of horticulture and advised against any "hurried decision to set up a university of horticulture".
Interestingly, the SKUAST-K Scientists' Association or SSTA which had been vocal in asserting that the horticulture university should not be created at the expense of the agriculture university had raised similar apprehensions as voiced by Governor NN Vohra who is also the Chancellor of the varsity.
But the government has went ahead with its "half baked plan" to establish Horticulture university in Kashmir and has constituted a committee vide order number No: 235-GAD of 2018, a copy who which lies with Early Times.
Some of the members in the committee have a tainted service record.
The day the government issued the formal orders, the SSTA sharply reacted to the development. "The government has shockingly proposed to amend the SKUAST Act, 1982,which is an unwise move from the state because of the fact that such policy matters fall under the jurisdiction of various statutory bodies of SKUAST-K and decided by university council headed by the Governor, who is the Chancellor of the University," the SSTA said.
"This order is undermining the statutory bodies and seizes the autonomy of our institution and we will oppose any such move", Dr S A Dar, the President of SSTA said adding "if the present Government is serious enough in establishing a Horticulture University, then it should not be merely a cosmetic exercise by changing the sign board hanging above the main gate of well established SKUAST-Kashmir."
The SSTA maintained that any such move was not only unjustified but rationally incorrect and would have direct impact on the food security of the state.
"Establishing a new university means setting up a new infrastructure, creation of new jobs from auxiliary staff to the faculty. But to establish a university in an existing university is just befooling the people and robbing the resources of the parent University," commented the SSTA president.
The constitution of the committee appointed vide order No: 235-GAD of 2018 is headed by Chief Secretary with Administrative Secretaries of Finance, Planning, Dev & Monitoring, Agriculture Production, Horticulture (Member Secretary) and Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs departments as its members.
The appointment of Dean Horticulture, SKUAST-K as its Expert Member, has been questioned as his name reportedly figures in the FIR No: 05/18 Under Section 420, 467, 468, 120-B RPC registered against SKUAST-K officials.
As per the Crime Branch statement issued on February 3, 2018: "The accused officers, under a well knit criminal conspiracy by the manipulation of records, had forwarded the cases of 71 Daily Paid Labourers of SKUAST to Government for regularization on extraneous consideration fraudulently and dishonestly, who were otherwise not eligible for the same. Even some DPLS have been found to be non-existent."
According to sources in SKUAST-K, besides Crime Branch of J&K Police, the university authorities too have constituted an in-house enquiry committee to investigate the allegations and fix responsibility for submitting a fudged list of DPLs to the Government for regularization.
The committee, according to sources, has not so far completed its enquiry. The VC was not available for a comment about the action taken in the matter.
But a senior official said "We are helpless as some ministers are desperate to establish the so called university in Kashmir at an earliest, to meet their political ambitions." |
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