Indore : Prof Pradeep Mathur’s term as director of Indian Institute of Technology, Indore is over but he would continue in the office for some time.
His term expired on December 31 but THE Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has asked him to stay on the post till its next order.
The process for appointment of director is generally begins six month ahead of the completion of director’s term but due to general elections in mid-year and change in guard at the Centre, the process got delayed at IIT Indore.
The MHRD hinted at completing the process soon. Established in 2009, the IIT Indore saw its first director in Mathur. He completed his five years of term but it was full of controversies.
He first came in a controversy when the institute deputy director Prof Khanna quit the post apparently due to Mathur.
Terming the selection of a ‘scientist’ for the post of director of engineering institute wrong, Khanna had said, “There can’t be a bigger blunder than that. The result today is that at IIT Indore, the Director is converting Institute of Technology into an Institute of Science by neglecting engineering requirements.”
To supplement his claims, he stated that “the institute has 35 engineering faculties out of 86 and yet, more than 65 per cent of budget has been spent on Sciences, Bio-sciences and Astrophysics rather than on engineering.”
A few months after that, Mathur drew flak from local public representatives for not inviting them in convocation ceremony in which President Pranab Mukherjee was chief guest.
The IIT Indore Director was also pulled up by the MHRD for delaying construction of its own campus in Simrol.
The ground breaking ceremony for starting construction was held just a few months ago.
IIT Indore media in-charge Nirmala Menon said that the institute had received a letter from the MHRD which says that Mathur would continue till its next order. “There is no mention of time period in the letter,” she said.
