The Uttarakhand Government set up the UTU in the year 2005 to give an impetus to technical education in the hill State but recent developments have shown that the University has turned into grossly mismanaged institute and a place of backdoor appointments of influential people. The university is in news for all bad reasons recently. When this correspondent visited the university an atmosphere of chaos and mistrust appear to prevail over the functioning of university officials. The statement of one of the university employees aptly summed up the mood of university when he said, “Every morning the first thing we do is to look at the newspapers about negative reports of the university. The skin of top officials here has thickened so much that they don’t care for negative publicity now. This carelessness probably stems from the political patronage they enjoy. But all these things are creating hindrance in functioning of the university.’’

To the discomfiture of the university, The Pioneer in its edition of July 16 carried the story on appointment scam in the university in which it was disclosed that how the Vice Chancellor (VC), registrar and deputy Registrar misused their positions and appointed their family members (daughter and wives) on key positions of university by involving the agency of Uttrakhand Purva sainik kalyan Nigam limited (UPNl). Following the news the state government constituted an inquiry on the issue. On Monday, the Uttarakhand governor Dr K K Paul directed the Chief Secretary, Shatrughan Singh to conduct an inquiry into complaints of irregularities, allegations and counter allegations in Uttarakhand Technical University (UTU).

Another reason why the university was in news recently was the slanging match of allegation and counter allegation between the VC P K Garg and Director of Women Institute Technology (WIT) Alaknanda Ashok. WIT is one of a constituent college of UTU. Ashok and Garg entered into bitter allegation and counter allegation after Ashok terminated service of one of a teachers. In the slanging match that ensued, the VC even accused Alaknanda Ashok of arrogance as she happens to be the wife of Director Vigilance, ADGP, Ashok Kumar. An infuriated Alaknanda Ashok hit back by sending a legal notice to the VC.

The latest episode in which one of former officials of the university is sitting on a dharna outside the VC’s office along with his family has further sullen the already dented image of the lone technical university of the state.