Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam   

V-C may be allowed to complete term

With the Congress defeating the Telugu Desam Party, there are speculations on the campus about the possible repercussions of change of guard.

Even as the University Protection Committee continues its protest against the Vice-Chancellor, Y.C. Simhadri, the CPI(M), the CITU and the SFI have renewed their demand for his recall. It has to be seen what the Congress, which also actively supports the demand, will do.

However, campus watchers feel that Prof. Simhadri may be allowed to complete his term of 11 months. It is learnt that there is no provision for recalling the Vice-Chancellor, whose appointment is not political in nature. At the most, the Government may ask a V-C to resign or to go on leave.

But even this may not happen as Prof. Simhadri has some good friends among Congress leaders and there are rumours that he has already met the Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy. It is also learnt that some senior professors have put in a word of support to Prof. Simhadri by telling Congress leaders not to disturb him. It is also reported that some teachers, who met Dr. Reddy, have been given an impression that sending out Prof. Simhadri may not be a wise decision.

One speculation is that ground will be prepared for a senior professor of Arts College, who will become Principal after a few months, to take over as V-C as soon as Prof. Simhadri's term ends. Meanwhile, the administration has unequivocally denied reports that the Deans of its various schools and faculties will be changed (with pro-Congress persons) and that a woman will take over as the new Director of the School of Distance Education. However, Prof. Simhadri has to take a decision on the post of Registrar, as the term of the incumbent Registrar has ended.

On the defeat of the TDP, the campus community felt that the ill- effects of rising prices brought the party's downfall. Some even said that factors like students, teachers and employees being "harassed" in the name of discipline, termination of daily wage workers, dismissal of professors and leaders of trade unions, refusal of transfer certificates to B.Ed. candidates who wanted to leave the course (which denied them jobs or admission in higher level courses), refusal to return original certificates to students who wanted to discontinue their courses, have caused a lot of consternation among the university community.

Decisions regarding students have caused a lot of heart-burn among students in the five districts under the jurisdiction of Andhra University, they felt.

The elections saw the university's representation in the Assembly coming down from three to one. A faculty of the Department of Politics and Public Administration, K. Ravibabu, was elected from S. Kota on the Congress ticket, defeating a university employee, Sobha Hymavathi (TDP). While the Bharatiya Janata Party's Legislature Party Leader, K. Haribabu, an associate professor of the AU College of Engineering, had lost, another member of the dissolved Assembly, Pinninti Varalakshmi, failed to get re-nomination.

Her plight only compounded when she was also sacked by the administration over the vexed issue of lien and leave. Dr. Ravibabu, after watching his predecessors facing a lot of problems for going on lien for a non-academic purpose, sent in his resignation before contesting the election.

Dr. Haribabu applied for voluntary retirement, while Ms. Hymavathi did not bother to respond to any of the show cause notices served on her.

It is learnt that Dr. Varalakshmi called on the members of the University Protection Committee after elections and extended her support. During her tenure as MLA, she organised a day-long dharna on the campus on the demands of daily wage workers of hostels, much to the chagrin of the administration.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Updates: Breaking News |

Stories in this Section

• V-C may be allowed to complete term
• Tender process: VMC to introduce e-Procurement
• Mason murdered
• VUDA extends date for benefit scheme
• Two more hi-tech buses for Hyderabad
• NIFT test topper
• Jeeyar pats eye bank
• Around the City

Copyright © 2004, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu