Former Member of Parliament and president of the Puducherry Maanila Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam M. Ramadass has requested the Puducherry government to constitute the Board of Governors for the Puducherry Technological University.

In a statement, he said the government recently floated an advertisement inviting applications for the post of Vice-Chancellor of the PTU. While steps have been taken to appoint the next V-C, there has been a six-year delay in constituting the Board of Governors. The government’s attempt to appoint the University’s second Vice-Chancellor without constituting the Board of Governors was not proper, he said.

“The Board plays a pivotal role in guiding the University’s administration, determining institutional policies and approving development initiatives in accordance with applicable Acts and Statutes. The Board must be set up first before appointing the next V-C,” Mr. Ramadass said. 

The government should seriously ponder over the reason for the dip in the PTU’s NIRF ranking. The University was established in 2020 by upgrading the Pondicherry Engineering College. The Engineering College was earlier ranked 34th among technical institutions but after the institute was upgraded its ranking fell to the 150th place, he said.

“It is deeply disappointing. The government should initiate a comprehensive review of the University’s academic performance, research output, infrastructure, faculty strength and prepare a time-bound plan to improve its standards,” Mr. Ramadass said.