Faculty unpaid, PU strips music dept head of powers

In reaction to some teachers in the music department not being paid their salaries on t i me, the Panjab University administration has taken the unusual step of divesting its chairperson, Neelam Paul, of various powers including those relating to financial matters.

The move comes nearly a month after the salaries of PU vice-chancellor AK Grover’s wife, Neera Grover, and two other department faculty members — Arvind Kumar Sharma, a reemployed teacher, and Chaman Lal Verma, a guest faculty member, were delayed in getting their salaries.

According to sources, while Neera and Sharma had not been paid for about two months, Verma’s salary was not credited to his bank account for almost a year. After receiving the complaint, the V-C reportedly asked a PU panel to look into the matter.

According to the sources, apart from these three teachers others in the department had also complained about Paul’s way of functioning in various letters to Grover as well as PU dean of university instruction AK Bhandari.

Paul is lear nt to have been informed by Bhandari about the decision on Thursday. The sources said powers, including those pertaining to financial matters and joining or relieving staff, had now been delegated to another faculty member, Saroj Ghosh.

Paul met Panjab University Teachers Association’s (PUTA) executive body members on Friday, handing over a letter urging them to intervene in the matter on her behalf and get her powers “restored” to her. PUTA chief Devinder Singh refused to comment on the issue.