ROURKELA: At a time when the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela (NIT-R) is facing administrative paralysis following vacancies in the top positions of Director and Chairman of Board of Governors (BOG), confusion over continuity of the registrar Prof PK Das beyond February 18 has made matters worse. However, the registrar clarified that his term of appointment is for five years at NIT-R.
Das, who is on deputation to NIT-R from the State government-run Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology (VSSUT), is scheduled to superannuate on February 18. Citing Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) guidelines of the Union Government and recruitment rules for non-teaching staff of NITs 2019, a section in NIT-R claimed that the position of registrar is temporary and to be filled only on deputation basis.
Das will superannuate from his parent organisation on February 18 for which he has to resign as registrar and rejoin VSSUT to complete the official formalities. His deputation to NIT-R will be automatically terminated once he ceases to be a regular employee of VSSUT, they argued.
However, another section in the institute opined there is no need for Prof Das to resign in order to retire from VSSUT. His continuity as NIT-R registrar would be valid for five years unless or until some specific clause is there, they said.
Dismissing the speculations Das said,”There are established norms with no ambiguity in deputation and appointment conditions. Some campus elements are creating needless confusion and apprehension. My appointment as registrar is for five years till 2024 and I would continue.”
Sources said, the Ministry of Education has recently finalised Prof Karanam Uma Maheshwar Rao as NIT-R Director. Prof Rao is now the Director of NIT-Surathkal. They said it would take at least one more month for NIT-R to get its new full time director.
The BOG chairman post is vacant from July 2020 and the then Director Prof Animesh Biswas was discharging dual responsibilities till his five-year term ended in October 2021. Since then, Prof Simanchal Panigrahi is acting as in-charge Director and in-charge BOG chairman with limited power.