Four years on, Amritsar IIM remains headless; MP Aujla smells a rat
The officers are intentionally introducing problems in the selection process. GURJEET SINGH AUJLA , MP
AMRITSAR :The Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Amritsar, has been functioning without a permanent director for four years now as none of the potential candidates have withstood the scrutiny of the selection committee.
However, in the light of continuous delays, MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla believes a scam maybe underfoot.
The board of governors (Bogs) appointed by the Union ministry of human resource development (MHRD) failed to hire any candidate in the last selection process. After conducting at least four selection interviews in four years, a new advertisement for the post of a director was issued on February 1 this year.
Before this, the post was last advertised on September 2, 2018.
INSTITUTE’S GROWTH STUMPED
The absence of a head has cost the institution as no major developments have taken place in the institute. Consequently, constructing a main campus building remains a distant dream.
Perturbed by the institute’s stumped growth, a patron of the Amrisar Vikas Manch Kulwant Singh Ankhi says, “The government spends over ₹25 lakh on each interview. Since the institute’s inauguration, the government has spent over ₹1 crore of public money for hiring a director. Despite conducting numerous sessions, the management is dragging its feet while selecting a candidate. The delay in selecting a director has become an impediment in the construction of the campus building.”
“With the elections in the offing, the selection process will be further prolonged due to imposition of the code of conduct. Earlier, the entire process had to be scrapped and restarted due to the implementation of the Indian Institute of Management Bill (2017),” he said.
‘CAN’T HIRE JUST ANYBODY’
Rajya Sabha member Shwait Malik said, “The authorities are yet to find a competent candidate, after all, they can hardly consider just anybody for the post. The Union minister of human resource development, Prakash Javadekar is pursuing the matter. We hope the advertisement does not go in vain this time and we find a candidate who fulfils the eligibility criteria.”
SELECTION PROCEDURE IS A SCAM: AUJLA
MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla said, “The officers at Iim-amritsar are intentionally introducing problems in the selection process. I have discussed the matter in Parliament and have asked Union minister Javadekar to conduct an enquiry into the matter but to no avail. Despite spending crores, the campus is not ready. The selection procedure is a big scam.” The institute’s nodal officer, Pawan Kumar, refused to comment on the issue.