PUTA seeks withdrawal of decision on administrative powers to registrar office

The Punjabi University Teachers’ Association (PUTA) has demanded vice-chancellor Prof BS Ghuman to look into the orders related to administrative powers to registrar

The Punjabi University Teachers’ Association (PUTA) has demanded vice-chancellor Prof BS Ghuman to look into the orders related to administrative powers to registrar office, in Patiala on Monday.

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In a written representation to the vice-chancellor, the PUTA’s executive body stated that the decision taken in May 2019 by the Syndicate body had bestowed administrative powers pertaining to process of transfer, posting, relieving and joining of non-teaching employees working in different departments and branches, to the office of registrar of the university.

“The decision by its implication has undermined the position and authority of not only the heads of teaching, research and distance education departments but also that of professors in-charge of the study-cum-research chairs,” said PUTA president Jaswinder Singh Brar.

“The decision has resulted in centralisation of decision making in the university with adverse fall out upon healthy work culture duly nurtured in the academic departments,” he added.

“The decision has equated the academic departments with the administrative branches. The sudden transfer of non-teaching staff, without consent or involvement of heads who are well versed with work and ethos of the departments has seriously jeopardised departmental functioning,” he said.

PUTA secretary Gurnam Singh Virk said the decision has become a point of contention between the registrar’s office and the departmental heads.

“The university administration should ensure functional autonomy of departments, act as facilitators and provide more resources to the departments that are grappling with staff crunch,” he said.

He added that the PUTA has requested the V-C to stop the implementation of the said decision immediately and initiate the process of its withdrawal in the subsequent Syndicate meeting.