Sanjog Mishra
Varanasi, December 29
FOR BANARAS Hindu University, the year 2006 started with some achievements, but ended with controversies. It was after 17 years that President of India Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam addressed the 88th combined convocation of BHU on March 3.
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare agreed to extend the status of AIIMS to the Institute of Medical Sciences and Sir Sunderlal Hospital of BHU for funding purpose. Faculty of Dental Sciences was established in Institute of Medical Sciences this year. Evening OPD clinics (4 to 6 pm) started at SS Hospital from July 15, 2006.
Indian Council of Agricultural Research granted the status of Agriculture University to the Institute of Agricultural Sciences of BHU for grant purpose.
Recruitment of 207 teachers was completed this year. Officials of National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) visited BHU in April 2006 and placed BHU under A category.
BHU was approved as an outreach centre for technology entrepreneurship promotional programme to fund project upto 10 lakhs in EasternUP.
Science block, named as ‘Savitri Devi Vigyan Bhawan’ was constructed and inaugurated by Union HRD Minister Arjun Singh at Mahila
Mahavidyalaya in BHU this year. A Railway reservation counter of North-Eastern Railway was inaugurated on June 6, 2006.
However, BHU administration drew controversy over frequent lathicharge over students several times this year. The security personnel resorted to lathicharge over students during union HRD minister Arjun Singh’s visit and also when the students were staging a peaceful Kshatra Satyagrah outside Hindi Bhawan. The security personnel lathicharged medicos twice in a week, protesting Reservation Bill in this month.
Show-cause notices to some of the teachers for participating in a programme of RSS drew criticism from former Union HRD minister Dr MM Joshi and President of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Ashok Singhal. Decisions of Central Information Commission against BHU administration over the controversial death of a student Yogesh Rai earned embarrassment to BHU this year.
BHU was in news for wrong reasons when its registrar was imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 by the Central Information Commission for deliberate and inordinate delay in handing over Harikesh Singh committee report to Dananjay Tripathi, friend of deceased Yogesh Rai. It was for first time in the history of BHU that it’s Vice chancellor Prof Panjab Singh and Registrar N Sundaram were summoned by CIC to Delhi. sanjogmishra_2006[AT]rediffmail.com