Srinagar, Dec 16: The Union Ministry of Education on Tuesday informed Parliament that the post of Director at the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Hazratbal, Srinagar, has effectively remained without a full-time regular incumbent since early 2024, following the premature exit of the last appointed Director.
Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha, National Conference MP Mian Altaf Ahmad sought to know whether the Director’s post at NIT Srinagar had been lying vacant for more than two years and, if so, the reasons behind the delay in filling the key academic and administrative position.
Replying on behalf of the Ministry of Education, Minister of State Dr Sukanta Majumdar said that a regular Director was appointed at NIT Srinagar in May 2023 for a tenure of five years. “However, after serving for only eight months, the Director reverted to his parent organisation due to administrative reasons there.”
Dr Majumdar informed the House that since the Director’s departure, the additional charge of the post has been assigned to the regular Director of another National Institute of Technology to ensure the smooth functioning of NIT Srinagar.
He further stated that the process for appointing a regular Director is underway. According to the minister, a Search-cum-Selection Committee has been constituted in accordance with Section 17(1) of the National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research (NITSER) Act, 2007, and the relevant statutes framed under the Act.
“The interviews of shortlisted candidates for the post have already been conducted,” the minister said, indicating that the appointment process has reached an advanced stage.
NIT Srinagar, one of the premier technical institutions in the region, has been functioning under interim leadership for several months, a situation that has drawn concern from academic circles over institutional stability and long-term planning.
