CUTTACK: The Director of Swami Vivekananda National Institute of Rehabilitation Training and Research (SVNIRTAR), a premier institute functioning under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, at Olatpur here has alleged gross irregularities in constitution of Board of Studies (BoS) for different courses in 2019-20 session by Utkal University.
In a letter to the Vice-Chancellor, the Director Dr Shakti Prasad Das stated that the university on March 3 had reconstituted the BoS for BPT, BOT, BPO, MPT, MOT and MPO courses illegally by violating norms.
Of 11 board members, eight are below the rank of Reader, he alleged.
Despite having the rank above than Reader and specialisation in Physical Medicine Rehabilitation and Orthopaedics, which are integral subjects to Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Prosthetics and Orthotics, non-inclusion of the Director in BoS is unfortunate and injustice to these courses, the letter said.
Das, who has discharged the responsibility of BoS Chairman/member for more than 25 years since beginning of these courses, has been debarred from the panel in 2019-20 academic year.
The Director has submitted details of specialisation courses and status of faculties available in the SVNIRTAR to the university for necessary action.
He also sought the intervention of the Governor, the Minister and Commissioner-cum-Secretary of Higher Education department and Controller of Examination, Utkal University into the matter.