Shillong: The North Eastern Hill University Teachers’ Association (NEHUTA) has called for the removal of Vice-Chancellor Prof. P.S. Shukla, accusing him of bypassing university procedures to extend undue favours to a private firm.
In a statement issued on Sunday, NEHUTA alleged that Shukla facilitated the allotment of work worth Rs 82 lakh at the university’s Tura campus in March 2024 to the Manipur Tribal Development Corporation (MTDC) without mandatory approvals.
The Tura campus, located in the West Garo Hills around 350 km from Shillong, reportedly saw the work order issued on the basis of an MoU that was never cleared by statutory bodies of the university.
The association further claimed that the order was processed by the campus director, who had financial powers limited to Rs 5 lakh, and that Shukla approved the release of funds to MTDC within 15 days of allotment despite the work not being completed.
NEHUTA president Lakhon Kma said the teachers’ body will take up the issue with President Droupadi Murmu and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Repeated attempts to reach Prof. Shukla for his response to the allegations were unsuccessful.