RTI Requests

(About a year ago, someone from Delhi, had written to the PIO of Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad to seek information regarding consultancies, projects and promotions in the institution. I would like to quote from the letter as  received from him for providing information.The issues raised are serious,  and it is here that RTI Anonymous may help the cause of the RTI Act. I would not like my identity to be divulged at any stage of its processing.)

1. Several senior faculties, Professors and Associate Professors of ISM have been involved in consultancies and research projects. I would like to know, for the last five years, how many of them, year-wise and by name and designation, have involved (i) the Chairman, ISM EB/GC, (ii) the Director, ISM, (iii) the Registrar, ISM, and (iv) the HODs, in their consultancies and/or projects, and how much money have been paid to each of them (i.e. the Chairman, the Director, the Registrar, and the HOD), and for what specific services/works, as fees. The quantum of money each one received since 2004-05 may please be provided.

2.How many days a semester each year these professors were allowed to remain away from the headquarters, and how many teaching classes they personally missed/lost for doing consultances/projects (irrespective of their assigning the classes to research scholars/junior colleagues/or themselves engaging the socalled extra classes, according to their convenience). Information is particularly requested about Professor D.C. Panigrahi, Professor Gurdeep Singh, Professor Kampan Mukerjee, Professor P.P Bahuguna, Professor A.K. Basu, Professor P.S. Gupta, Professor V M S R Murthy, Professor R. Venugopal, and Professor B.N.P. Agrawal.

3. How many complaints/negative feedback have been received about their consultancies or project reports during the last five years? Kindly provide the names of such professors and the complaining agencies, especially in the Department of Mining Engg and Dept of Environment Engg.

4. Kindly provide a copy of the Chairman’s approval placing the 20% of professors in the Higher Academic Grade (HAG). It  appears without withdrawing it he has imposed some conditions which violate the fundamental rules.

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Now, I would like to add some further details about the item 4 above. The Chairman, ISM Executive Board and General Council, had approved the list of professors, elevating them to HAG, twice in 2011. But, it was not implemented, till a third list was approved in March 2012, violating various conditions that the MHRD had stipulated. The most objectionable, and illegal, condition was, changing the seniority of professors according to the socalled Merit list that was prepared to accommodate persons who were earlier found not eligible. Perhaps, a copy each of the three lists, will reveal how the whole exercise was bungled to favour certain applicants who manipulated the exercise. Now, the junior professors have become senior. The point of law is: can seniority be changed without any change in designation/post. All those who were elevated remain professors but their seniority has been changed. How has the MHRD accepted it? The list of beneficiaries, their date of appointment as Professosrs and their date of first appointment is given below:

Name                            Effective  Date of HAG              Date of appointment as Professor      Date of first appointment

1. Professor D.C. Panighrahi, Director      18.8.2009                     25.9.1998                                                    11.9.98

2. Professor Gurdeep Singh                            18.8.2009                   03.8.1993                                                    01.6.1983

3. Professor R. Venugopal                               18.8.2009                   26.3.1993                                                    26.4.1982

4.Professor U.K. Singh                                      18.8.2009                   16.3.1993                                                     16.3.1993

5.Professor T.Kumar                                          18.8.2009                  23.1.1992                                                     22.6.1981

6.Professor P.S. Gupta                                        18.8.2009                 25.9.1998                                                   04.5.1987

7.Professor A.Chattopadhyay (Maths)       06.1.2010                 27.4.1995                                                 13.9.1976

8.Professor S. Laik                                                28.12.2010              14.2.1995                                                 13.10.1977

9.Professor Kampan Mukerjee                         28.9.2011                 26.3.1993                                                06.8.1979

10.Professor A.Chattopadhyay(Engg)          28.9.2011                 27.4.1983                                               22.6.1976

11.Professor R.K.Singh                                         01.01.2012             26.3.1993                                               09.02.1976

Can they change the existing seniority of a professor without any change in his designation in the name of Merit list? This violates the established norms about seniority. And, one needs to know how many conditions of the UGC/ MHRD have not been followed in determining the merit list and how the earlier two lists were prepared and approved but not implemented to benefit certain professors who were not even eligible to apply?