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| Draining out JU…equipment goes missing | | Chemistry deptt’s machine transported to ISCAS which is not part of Varsity | | Munish Gupta
Jammu | May 15
The top bosses at the University of Jammu are bogged down ‘mysterious disappearance’ of an expensive equipment from the department of Chemistry which has been taken away by its own men to an institution which looks like but is not a part of the University.
The Indian Association of Solid State Chemists and Allied Scientists is headquartered in Jammu, its building has come on the Jammu University land but is in now way a department or part of the University of Jammu. Its relation with the Jammu University is more or less the same as in case of Indian Institute of Public Administration which has an academic collaboration with the JU and its building has come up on the University land.
Sources said that on the late evening of May 9, an expensive X-Ray Diffractometer went missing from the University of Jammu and later it was spotted at the building of Indian Association of Solid State Chemists and Allied Scientists (ISCAS) which has come on the backside of the University campus.
Interestingly, it was an inside job. This time the command was led by Prof Indu Bhushan Sharma, a senior professor in the department and he was ably supported by Prof B L Sharma, HoD Chemistry in shifting the costly scientific equipment X-ray Diffractometer out of the department without the necessary permission of university authorities, sources informed.
Sources further disclosed that Prof Indu Bhushan himself shifted the equipment to ISCAS centre built, which is built on the university land, but not its part in any way. The shifting took place in a very secret manner in the evening time on Friday May 9, 2008 and that too in a private vehicle. Had it been an official work, the equipment would've been shifted during wprking hours and in official vehicle, one of the faculty members of the department questioned.
On the name of permission, the HoD obtained formal permission from Department of Science and Technology, Govt of India mentioning the fact that ISCAS centre was a part of the university, sources disclosed.
But, official sources confirmed that ISCAS was an autonomous institution and had nothing to do with the university. It is to mention that JU only provided land to ISCAS to raise its office building, as in the case of IIPA Jammu centre.
According to reports, this scientific equipment costs over Rs one crore and is of extreme importance for researchers of Science stream. The Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt of India had sponsored the said equipment to Prof Indu Bhushan for carrying out research on Solid State Chemistry during the year 2004 (September), as told to "Early Times".
It is pertinent to mention here that DST holds prerogative to take back the equipment after the completion of assigned project or generally, the department retains the equipment with it for further use but, the said researcher holds no right over the equipment, one of faculty members disclosed.
It is to be further mentioned that the said equipment was the only one which university had with it and all the students and scholars of the Science stream were dependent upon the same equipment for carrying their related research.
Even the matter was brought to the notice of Vice Chancellor; he, in turn directed the HoD to look into the matter. When contacted, Special Secretary to VC confirmed that matter and apprised that university had not granted any kind of permission to the department to shift the said equipment. He, however, termed the issue as a routine one and assured to prevail upon it very soon.
Early Times also contacted Prof B L Sharma, HoD, to know his version; he confidently claimed that he was in possession of the necessary permissions from DST and the university.
Meanwhile, source said that VC is soon convening a meeting of faculty of Department of Chemistry and the scholars to sort out the issue amicably, as scholars are adamant on their stand to bring back the equipment in the department.
Now, it's to wait and see that what JU administration would do to solve the issue, as it has two options either to bring back the equipment or take into control the affairs of ISCAS centre. It is to mention that X-ray diffractometer is a powerful tool of solving the following analytical, technological and research tasks especially for the purpose of the creation of new crystalline materials, determination of structural characteristics of crystalline matter and analysis of its purity etc. |
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