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Amid space war: PU reconstitutes dept committees of Centre for Nuclear Medicine
PU’s decision to reconstitute the Centre for Nuclear Medicine’s departmental committees was condemned by the teachers’ union.
A day after a team of Panjab University (PU) tried to take possession of the space at the Centre for Nuclear Medicine, the varsity on Wednesday reconstituted the centre’s departmental committees, a move condemned by the teachers’ union.
The vice-chancellor (V-C) approved a new academic committee, administrative committee and technical committee, with effect from June 29.
The university also stated that it would review the long-term viability of the MSc programme of nuclear medicine, especially in the backdrop of Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) starting its own programme.
“PGIMER’s approval to start their own independent nuclear medicine course and to discontinue the joint programme with PU was taken by its governing body on April 3, 2022 and communicated to PU. The request of the university to adjust the training of the 2021-2022 batch was agreed by the PGI authority,” PU said.
PU has kept the admission for MSc in nuclear medicine for 2022-23 session in abeyance. During the second year of the programme, the students undergo training at PGIMER, for which there is no memorandum of understanding (MoU) in the upcoming session. PGIMER also agreed to an interim relief arrangement for 2022-23 till the final decision regarding the renewal of MoU is taken.
The official communique also stated that PGIMER’s proposal to start their own MSc programme and terminate the existing one was mainly because the department of nuclear medicine at PU has only one faculty member, thus the teaching is not adequate, a concern reportedly raised by students as well.
PU’s dean university instruction (DUI) Renu Vig said that the matter related to the admission will now be taken up by the committee.
Space allocated to incubation centre
On Tuesday, some PU teachers along with security personnel had gone on to take possession of the space at the nuclear medicine centre, where they met stiff resistance from the members of Panjab University Teachers Association (PUTA). The team later returned without taking possession, after deliberations with PUTA members. As per the order issued by the office of dean university instructions (DUI), the department’s space has been allocated to an incubation centre. It stated that a sub-committee had earlier recommended for the nuclear medicine department to be shifted from Block-4 to the Centre for Medical Physics, South Campus, in Block-2 by May 31.
PUTA condemns move
While condemning the varsity’s move of reconstituting the departmental committees, PUTA, in a statement, said that the university authorities are hell bent on closing the Centre for Nuclear Medicine due to some vested interests. “It became evident on Wednesday when a notice was issued by DUI, wherein in violation of PU calendar and the university rules, all departmental committees of Centre for Nuclear Medicine were reconstituted by dismantling the existing committees, after the passage of six months of year 2022,” PUTA said.
“We vehemently condemn these self-destructive, unconstitutional and dictatorial acts of the university authorities, apparently with vested interests, against the interest of their own students, teachers and institution, for reasons best known to them,” said PUTA president Mritunjay Kumar, adding that they appeal to the V-C to uphold the constitutional provisions in the interest of welfare of the university.
