Varsity postpones remote sensing faculty interviews after ruckus

Team Herald

PANJIM: Goa University on Thursday postponed interview of remote sensing faculty scheduled for Friday after the Goa Forward Party members gheraoed Goa University vice chancellor H B Menon over relaxation of 15 years domicile clause and knowledge of Konkani in recruitment.

Ahead of the interview for the two posts of remote sensing faculty, GFP leaders along with University students stormed into the meeting hall where the vice chancellor was chairing a meeting. They demanded to know the reasons for relaxing the 15 years domicile clause and knowledge of Konkani, which was mandatory for recruitments. The protestors also turned down the request of the vice chancellor to allow him to continue with the meeting.

GFP general secretary Prashant Naik said that for the last almost a year, the University has been advertising for the posts of remote sensing faculty. In December last year, it advertised four posts including one reserved for candidates belonging to Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) community. The interviews were conducted but these posts were not filled and re-advertised in August this year after abolishing the two reserved posts and to fill two posts in general category for which interviews were scheduled for Friday, October 18.

Naik demanded to know, “Why were two reserved posts abolished abruptly? This is not Kerala University. This is Goa University. I have gone to jail to establish this University. This university is not meant for people from Kerala. It is meant for Goans. This cannot go on now when eligible and qualified people are available in the State. If you select any outsiders for the posts, we will not allow them to come to the university. This is also one of the reasons for the decline in the Goa University ranking,” he said.

The protestors refused to listen to the explanation of the vice chancellor and demanded that the scheduled interviews be called off. Menon later assured them that the Friday’s interviews would be cancelled.

The vice chancellor has called the GFP delegation for a discussion at 10 am on October 21.

GFP vice president Dilip Prabhudesai, joint secretary Santosh Kumar Sawant, North Goa district president Deepak Kalangutkar, environment cell convenor Vikas Bhagat and members Fredy Travasso and Kadar Shah and former Chodan-Madel sarpanch Shrikrishna Haldankar were also present.