It's utter mayhem in headless Eflu

HYDERABAD: Trouble is brewing at English and Foreign Languages University (Eflu), the vice-chancellor post of which fell vacant after Abhai Maurya, the previous VC, was removed from office in June. According to university sources, the headless institution has now ended up as a battle field between students, faculty and administration and is currently under the indirect control of HRD minister for state Daggubati Purandeswari.

Eflu, which is temporarily under in-charge VC, Prof Md Miyan (vice-chancellor, Maulana Azad National Urdu University), has in a period of two weeks witnessed a massive protest by students demanding basic amenities, an uprising by faculty members against the students' protests and an administrative breakdown for want of a permanent VC, say university sources.

Sources said that the university is in the middle of utter mayhem which is only worsening by the day. "The appointment of another vice-chancellor will take more time as the ministry of human resource and development has not announced a deadline for the next appointment. In the absence of the VC, work on issues including student accommodation, water problems, development of the new campus and even floating of tenders has come to a standstill," a source said.

University sources said that two of the top administrative posts in the university are now occupied by the minister's (Purandeswari) candidates. "Several teaching posts too are held by those in her good books. With all of them vying for more power, the administrative matters of the university have gone for a toss," a source said. In the past few months, the construction activities on Eflu campus have stopped due to administrative slowdown, sources said. Even the removal of the former vice-chancellor, Abhai Maurya stating "overage'' as reason is being said in the university circles as a move by Purandeswari to make the university her forte.

The absence of a full-time VC is troubling the students too as most of the administrative staff have turned a deaf ear towards their grievances, they say. "At a time when we were not getting food in mess for days, the in-charge vice-chancellor directed us to a defunct committee without taking immediate action. We got no answers from the administration even after holding a protest in front of the administrative building," said an Eflu student.

Meanwhile, to add to the mayhem, the faculty members are currently thinking of taking action against students who stopped administrative work in the university during their protest. According to rumours floating thick and fast, a few of the student protesters might even get rusticated for leading agitation in the university.

When asked to respond to the burning issues on campus, a senior professor in the university and former pro-vice chancellor, Maya Pandit said that most of the problems on campus were not caused due to administrative slowdown or by the political influence of infighting. "There are problems on Eflu campus but that has got nothing to do with politics or with administrative slowdown. The in-charge vice-chancellor along with senior professors in the university are always around to sort out issues of the students. The problems will soon come to an end once all the parties hold a meeting," Pandit said.

Read more: It's utter mayhem in headless Eflu - Hyderabad - City - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Its-utter-mayhem-in-headless-Eflu-/articleshow/6442373.cms#ixzz0yorhYRER