Aviation varsity VC selection process cancelled over delay

Lucknow: After failing to complete the selection process in 11 months, the Union civil aviation ministry has cancelled the selection process for the post of vice-chancellor of Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University (RGNAV), Amethi. The cancellation of the advertisement, issued on March 15, 2020, comes at a point when the top three administrators of the university are not permanent.The cancellation notice (TOI has a copy of it) was issued by under secretary, Union civil aviation ministry, Kameshwar Mishra, on February 16.

Mishra told TOI: “Time was very short. Had the new VC been recruited he/she would have served only till June 30, 2021. It takes a long time to select a VC. By the time we could finalise, there were less than six months to serve. I think no VC would join for such a short time. Fresh advertisement will be issued soon.”
The search-cum-selection committee constituted on June 4, 2020, comprised five persons — former secretary, civil aviation ministry, MM Nambiar; IIM-Lucknow director Prof Archana Shukla; executive secretary, civil aviation ministry, KN Srivastava; former chairman, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, RK Tyagi, and IIM-Bangalore director Prof Rishikesha Krishnan. The first zoom interview was conducted on June 15. Sources said only four people were called for the interview.
As per the university’s Act, the first chancellor and VC of RGNAU will be appointed by the President of India for a five-year term each. Though the university was established in 2013, it took three years to set up the infrastructure and on July 1, 2016, the first VC Air Vice-Marshal (Retd) Nalin Tandon took over.
Tandon resigned in November 2019 when his tenure of about 18 months was left. The charge was given to joint secretary, civil aviation ministry, Amber Dubey. Dubey continues to be the acting VC.
Dubey told TOI: “Due to Covid pandemic, the security clearance of the person shortlisted by the panel last year took a long time. That left just 7-8 months in the term of the first VC up to June 30, 2021. Hence the competent authority advised that the official from civil aviation ministry to continue to hold additional charge of first VC and initiate the selection process so that the new VC is in place by July 1 2021.”
The case of the first registrar Jitendra Singh is equally interesting, Singh, who was selected by the President, joined RGNAU in April 2019 and was sacked on January 8, 2020. No reason was cited by the civil aviation ministry for Singh’s termination. The matter is pending before the high court. Post Singh’s sacking, the charge of registrar was handed over to Garima Singh who holds the director’s position in the civil aviation ministry.
15/03/21 Isha Jain/Times of India