Bhubaneswar: Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati, who also serves as Chancellor of the state universities, announced on Monday the appointment of Vice-Chancellors to 14 universities, where the posts had been lying vacant.
The appointments include major institutions like Utkal University (Prof Chandi Prasad Nanda), Ravenshaw University (Prof Arka Kumar Das Mohapatra), Rama Devi Women’s University (Prof Jyotsna K B Rout) and Fakir Mohan University (Prof Santosh Kumar Tripathy).
Other appointees include:
Prof. Sanjaya Kumar Patro — Dharanidhar University
Prof. Byomakesh Tripathy — Gangadhar Meher University
Prof. Asima Sahu — Khallikote Unitary University
Prof. Pawan Kumar Agrawal — Maa Manikeshwari University
Prof. Sibaram Tripathy — Madhusudan Law University
Prof. Mahendra Kumar Mohanty — Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University
Prof. Bibhuti Bhusan Malik — Rajendra University
Prof. Prabhat Kumar Mohapatra — Shree Jagannath Sanskrit University
Prof. Hrushikesh Senapaty — Vikram Dev University
Prof. Satyanarayan Acharya — Odia University
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The Governor extended his best wishes to all the new Vice-Chancellors, expressing confidence that they would focus on elevating academic standards, fostering research and innovation, and ensuring robust institutional growth.
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These appointments were announced even as the opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) threatened to launch a statewide protest if the vacant VC positions are not filled by the end of this month.
Coming down heavily on the BJP-led Odisha government, Biju Yuva Janata Dal (BYJD) President Chinmay Sahu and Biju Chhatra Janata Dal (BCJD) President Ipsita Sahu said that a majority of teaching posts remain vacant, and the absence of full-time VCs has stalled the process of filling these positions, leading to administrative paralysis in the institutions.
The BYJD president highlighted the case of Odia University, established during the Naveen Patnaik regime, where all 21 sanctioned teaching posts, including the Vice-Chancellor position, are lying vacant. He also pointed out that an advertisement for VC recruitment was issued around nine months ago, yet the process remains incomplete despite the Governor’s assurance of early resolution following a BJD delegation’s meeting.
Sahu contrasted this with the previous BJD government under Naveen Patnaik, when the Odisha Public Service Commission handled such appointments, often completing them six months before the retirement of outgoing VCs. She further alleged that internal disagreements within the BJP and a “politicised mindset” have stalled the recruitment drive.