E-Paper
V-C intervenes to resolve deadlock
A SENIOR professor of Physics and Dean of Allahabad University Prof Hari Prakash has finally agreed to take over as co-ordinator of AU's prestigious MN Saha Centre of Space Studies and K Bannerjee Centre of Atmospheric and Ocean Studies within the next few days. The development follows the AU Vice-Chancellor Prof Rajen Harshe handing over a fresh appointment letter to Prof Prakash on Thursday after the Registrar failed to do so despite the VC's instructions over two weeks back.
A SENIOR professor of Physics and Dean (Science) of Allahabad University (AU) Prof Hari Prakash has finally agreed to take over as co-ordinator of AU's prestigious MN Saha Centre of Space Studies and K Bannerjee Centre of Atmospheric and Ocean Studies within the next few days.
The development follows the AU Vice-Chancellor Prof Rajen Harshe handing over a fresh appointment letter to Prof Prakash on Thursday after the Registrar failed to do so despite the VC's instructions over two weeks back.
Prof Prakash, sources said, met Prof Harshe in his chamber on Thursday and informed him that he had not received the promised fresh appointment letter from the Registrar till date and would not take over the charge of the two prestigious research centres of the varsity on the basis of the letter issued as it was both embarrassing and humiliating to him.
The VC is believed to have immediately got a fresh appointment letter prepared and handed over to Prof Hari Prakash finally settling the 'dispute' that had kept the varsity in its grip for the past around three weeks.
It is to be recalled that one of the senior most teachers and a Dean of the Allahabad University (AU) Prof Hari Prakash had been greatly upset thanks to a letter of the AU Registrar Prof US Rai.
The wording of the letter had so greatly hurt him that it led to the best teacher award winning Professor to lodge a complaint with the AU Vice-Chancellor Prof Rajen Harshe besides said to have hurt the very spirit with which the VC was planning to appoint the teacher as the new co-ordinator of the AU's prestigious MN Saha Centre of Space Studies. It all began with the co-ordinator of the MN Saha Centre of Space Studies Prof Shyam Lal Srivastava, who was serving on an extension after retirement, put in his papers on some personal grounds. This led to the AU Vice-Chancellor Prof Rajen Harshe facing with the immediate task of finding a suitable replacement. Based on his scrutiny of the work done by the senior teachers, the VC short-listed the name Prof Hari Prakash for the post.
He invited Prof Prakash to his chamber on May 13, 2006 and after praising and congratulating him on his work, the VC informed him that he wishes to appoint Prof Prakash as the new co-ordinator of the two centres. Prof Harshe had also informed the Dean that the letter of appointment would be despatched to him by the Registrar at the earliest.
However, Prof Prakash is said to have got a shock when he received the May 14, 2006 letter (No-36/Registrar/146/2006) informing him that he is being appointed as the co-ordinator of the Centre only "till next arrangement is made".
The letter, copies of which were forwarded to all the heads of the departments, directors of various AU centres besides the VC's office, went on to inform Prof Prakash that he "shall act as a figurehead" managing day-to-day functioning of the centre and will have to grant full autonomy to all the teachers undertaking research at the centre.
Upset over the wording of the letter, Prof Prakash shared his pain and his plans to decline the offer with the VC Prof Harshe in his camber. This had led to the VC assuring Prof Prakash that the letter indeed was not in the spirit in which he wanted to appoint him as the co-ordinator. The VC had assured Prof Prakash that he will look into the matter and following which Prof Prakash had proceeded on leave.
