Rourkela: The Union Ministry of Human Resources Development (HRD) has sacked National Institute of Technology’s governing body chairperson Vasantha Ramaswamy from her post with immediate effect.
Ramaswamy was sacked after the President issued his approval for her termination. Ramaswamy’s dismissal brings to an end a long drawn-out political power play at one of the premier educational institutions of the country.
The dismissal order was issued vide letter-F.NO.114-10/2015-TS 3, dated August 5, 2016 by the HRD ministry. The letter reached the office of the registrar Santosh Kumar Upadhaya Friday. Upadhaya has been asked to distribute copies of the letter to all the governing body members apprising them of the order.
The Union HRD ministry had for the first time appointed women chairpersons to five NITs – Rourkela, Calicut, Trichy, Suratkal and Surat October 31, 2014. Ramaswamy instead of joining the same day took charge November 14, 2014. She was due to retire October 31, 2017.
She soon courted controversy after getting embroiled in various disputes on a range of issues with the former director of the institution Prof Sunil Sarangi.
The dispute between the two intensified after Sarangi suspended registrar Upadhaya from his post. However, Ramaswamy was quick to dismiss the suspension order. This intensified the dispute between the two following which the HRD ministry intervened and withdrew Upadhaya’s suspension without giving him any charge. Later, Ramaswamy and Sarangi were called by the HRD ministry where the latter tried to resolve the dispute between the two but in vain.
The ministry taking a serious note of the matter reduced the financial grant to the institute from `40 crore to `5 crore in the third quarter of the year. As a result, works on several projects remained halfway while other projects failed to take off due to lack of funds.
Later, the HRD ministry convened an urgent meeting where Ramaswamy and Sarangi were asked to submit their resignations from their posts within a period of seven days.
While Sarangi obeying the order emailed his resignation to the President through the HRD ministry and also sent the same through post, Ramaswamy refused to oblige.
When contacted, Upadhaya said very soon a new director will assume office as the interview process was completed May 11. PNN
