Teachers' body takes on Mumbai University VC

The Mumbai University and College Teachers Association ( MUCTA) on Saturday alleged that the Vice Chancellor ( VC) of Mumbai University Dr Rajan Welukar has given an approval to appoint Dr KTV Reddy as principal of the Padmabhushan Vasantdada Patil Engineering ( PVPE) College at Sion, even as the college itself is mired in controversy.

The PVPE college was in the news for all the wrong reasons recently when first the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation ( BMC) declared that the top two floors of the college had been constructed illegally and then the college was found to lack adequate senior teaching staff to teach the students.

Dr Rajan Welukar has denied all allegations against him saying that Mumbai University has not given any approval to appoint a new principal for PVPE College as yet

Angry that the VC had approved the appointment of a principal to a college mired in controversy, MUCTA executive committee members have now sent a letter to the chancellor demanding a CID enquiry into the matter and find out why and how Welukar allowed the college to appoint a new principal.

However, when contacted the VC rubbished the allegation and claimed that he had not yet given any approval for such an appointment.

According to the committee reports from the University of Mumbai, Directorate of Technical Education ( DTE) and the All India Council for Technical Education ( AICTE) the college does not have the minimum required professors or senior teaching staff to run the institution. Meanwhile the BMC too has declared that the fifth and sixth floor of the college building are illegal and also pointed out that the college does not have toilets for handicapped students.

Subhas Athavle, President of MUCTA, told SUNDAY MiD DAY, " Till the first week of October we knew that the principal's post in PVPE college was lying vacant.
Suddenly last week, we came to know that the VC has appointed a principal. This is shocking. When so many deficiencies are there from illegal infrastructure up to less than adequate number of professors in the college, how can the VC appoint a principal?" The chancellor's office could not confirm if the MUCTA letter had been received.

When contacted, Vice Chancellor Dr Rajan Welukar said, " The selection committee of Mumbai University has not yet given any approval to appoint a new principal for PVPE College yet. It's a false allegation."