Govt constitutes fresh search committees for VCs of CUs

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 30: Quashing the previous search committee, Government today accorded sanction to the constitution of two separate search committees for appointment of Vice-Chancellors (VCs) for Cluster Universities (CUs) of Jammu and Srinagar.
According to the Government order, the search committee for Cluster University (CU) Srinagar is headed by VC Central University of Gujarat, Prof Rama Shankar Dubey as Chairman. He has been nominated by Chancellor J&K Universities. Director Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology UP, Prof A S K Sinha and Prof of Centre for Management Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia New Delhi, Dr Furqan Qamar are two members of the search committee
The search committee constituted for CU Jammu is headed by VC University of Lucknow, Prof Alok Kumar Rai as its Chairman (nominated by Chancellor J&K Universities) while Director NIT Srinagar Prof Rakesh Sehgal and VC Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU) Katra Prof Ravindar Kumar Sinha are its members.
This is the third time that Government has quashed previous search committee and constituted fresh search committees to draft a panel of names for selection of new VCs for Cluster Universities of Jammu and Srinagar.
“With the reconstitution of the new search committees, the previous search committees as well as the panel of candidates submitted to the Government stands quashed,” an official said, adding, the post of VC of Cluster University Srinagar as well Jammu will be re-advertised and the whole process of selection will be done afresh.
Earlier, the first search committee constituted by the Government was headed by a senior officer in civil administration as its chairman and VC Kashmir University and VC Jammu University were appointed as its members.
The Chancellor of Cluster Universities later approved the constitution of a fresh search committee which was headed by Director Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Jammu while VC Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) and VC Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU) were its members.
An official said the panel was quashed due to some controversies attached to the selection process as the search committee did not call any professor from University of Jammu or University of Kashmir.