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Space war: Now, Panjab University removes nuclear medicine centre’s head
According to an order issued by the varsity on Thursday, the charge of the Centre for Nuclear Medicine has been given to Panjab University’s dean university instruction (DUI). The development comes two days after the University reconstituted all the departmental committees of the centre
Days after a team of Panjab University (PU) tried to take possession of the space at the Centre for Nuclear Medicine, the varsity removed the centre’s chairperson Vijayta Dani Chadha with immediate effect, a move opposed by PU’s teachers’ body.
According to an order issued by the varsity on Thursday, the charge of the Centre for Nuclear Medicine has been given to PU’s dean university instruction (DUI). The development comes two days after the University reconstituted all the departmental committees of the centre.
Violation of PU Calendar, says PUTA
Panjab University Teachers Association (PUTA) said the move is in utter violation of the PU calendar, especially with regards to rotation of department heads.
PUTA president Mritunjay Kumar said, “PUTA will not tolerate the destruction of hard-earned institutional structure, especially rotation of headship by the custodians of the university. We vehemently condemn the humiliation caused to our teacher colleagues by the authorities,” he said. PUTA has also written to vice-chancellor Raj Kumar regarding the issue.
Unnecessary hurdles being created, says DUI
Meanwhile, PU’s dean university instruction (DUI), Renu Vig, said the space at the Centre of Nuclear Medicine has not been utilised for 15 years and the varsity is trying to create an incubation facility for students in vacant space. “Unnecessary hurdles were created and rules violated by not allowing authorities to improve infrastructure of PU. World-class facilities that authorities are planning to create will strengthen the centre as well as the university,” she said.
PU has kept the admission for MSc in nuclear medicine for 2022-23 session in abeyance. The university had 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.
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. However, PGIMER has agreed to an interim relief arrangement for 2021-22 and 2022-23 batch students till the final decision regarding the renewal of MoU is taken. The university has maintained 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.
