Staff Reporter Peshawar
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor and Chancellor Public Sector University Shah Farman sent Vice Chancellor Gomal University Prof Dr Iftikhar Ahmad on 90-day forced leave for opposing and criticizing the decision of provincial government about establishment of Agriculture University in district DI Khan, said a notification issued here Thursday.
A notification from the Higher education Department said that the VC Gomal University also bypassed the laid down procedure in correspondence.
The Governor has assigned additional charge of the post of VC Gomal University to Prof Dr Masroor Elahi Baber, VC University of Agriculture DI Khan with immediate effect.
Meanwhile, talking to APP VC Dr Masroor Elahi said the provincial cabinet on March 16, 2021 approved setting up of an Agriculture University DI Khan in its 52nd meeting by allowing up-gradation of the faculty of Agriculture department of Gomal University to a full-fledged agriculture university.
To a question he informed that in the past the university could not become fully functional for certain reasons but in the wake of recent decision of the KP cabinet the government was ready to execute a comprehensive uplift plan.
He informed that projects worth Rs4 billion were to be approved for the basic physical and organizational structure as well as facilities to operationalize the institution.
Dr Masroor said that at-least 80 kanal land with basic infrastructure was prerequisite of HEC for provision of developmental funds to a university, adding the Gomal University administration was asked to transfer 1000 kanal of land to Agriculture university to ensure better ground for research activities in farming, horticulture, forest and other related fields.
The VC said that a committee had already been constituted by the provincial government to determine the distribution of assets between Gomal University and the Agriculture University, adding that the committee was headed by Commissioner Dera whereas Secretary Agriculture, Secretary Higher Education Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and both the VCs were noted as members of the committee.
Dr Masroor explained that the decision with regard to up-gradation of agriculture university was not a new proposal rather it was a follow up of consultations of Gomal University Academic Council and Syndicate with the provincial government.
He informed that in 2012, the Academic Council of Gomal University passed a resolution for up- gradation of existing faculty of agriculture to an independent university as the DI Khan district was an agricultural area.
