india

Updated: Jan 02, 2015 01:44 IST

After its row with the director of the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, the human resource development ministry could now be on collision course with the Indian Institutes of Management.

The director’s position in three IIM campuses — Lucknow, Kozhikode and Ranchi — has been lying vacant for over six months now. Despite writing repeatedly to the ministry to fill the vacancy no action has been taken.

IIM Lucknow, exasperated by the ministry’s inability to clear the appointment, has asked HRD minister Smriti Irani to scrap the recommendation of the search-cum-selection committee and start the appointment process afresh.

The committee, formed in January last year, had submitted a list of candidates in June and since then the final approval is pending with the HRD ministry

“Kindly confirm to us that the procedure followed (by the committee) was not correct so that the new search-cum-selection committee is put in place immediately after discussion with IIM Lucknow board. We request you to act urgently on the matter so that we can put in place a new director for IIM Lucknow expeditiously,” JJ Irani, the chairman of the board of governors, IIM Lucknow wrote to the minister on October 28.

This was the third letter written to the ministry by IIM Lucknow requesting them to ensure the position is filled urgently.

While higher education secretary SN Mohanty could not be contacted for his comments, sources in the ministry indicated that hectic lobbying by groups affiliated to the Sangh Parivar for vacant positions in various educational institutions across the country has been one of the reasons for delay in appointments.

Like IIM Lucknow, IIM Ranchi and IIM Kozhikode have been waiting for their new directors. While the tenure of IIM Kozhikode director Debashis Chatterjee came to an end last April, MJ Xavier resigned as director of IIM Ranchi in September.

Chairman of IIM Kozhikode AC Muthiah told HT he had not heard from the ministry although the search and selection committees sent in its recommendations a while back.