Students suffer in staff-admin wrangle at food tech institute
NEW DELHI: The country’s apex school for food technology has turned into a battleground between teachers and the administration over charges and counter-allegations of violation of law and service rules, putting a question mark over the future of 800 students.
The faculty association has accused the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management’s (NIFTEM) vice chancellor Ajit Kumar and registrar Ravi Chugh of rampant violation of UGC norms, including no safety arrangements for women students and teachers during field visits to villages.
The management of NIFTEM — which is run by the Union ministry of food processing — hit back with mass disciplinary action and deduction of salary. They maintain that some teachers violated instructions and skipped duty.
“We are living in an atmosphere of oppression and vindictive attitude,” said Chakravarthy Sarvanand, the president of the teachers’ welfare association.
The teachers have appealed to President Pranab Mukherjee and PM Narendra Modi, seeking remedies. They have also filed a PIL over retired IAS officer Kumar’s appointment as the vice-chancellor, his salary structure and alleged irregularity over pension.