LARKANA: Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University (SMBBMU) Larkana is facing teaching staff shortage, which is affecting the university progress.
SMBBMU Vice Chancellor Prof Ghulam Murtaza Pathan told media that there was an acute shortage of required staff in basic faculty. He said: “If late appointments are made on different vital posts, the university will suffer seriously. The proper appointments are expected on major posts of Director (HR), Director (Admin) and Registrar. Some temporary postings were made long before his posting which still continue.”
Pathan said that 90% work of the main SMBBMU Campus had been completed. “The buildings are lying empty which require completion of the remaining work along with supply of furniture and other required material.”
He said that previous VC did not brief him before leaving the office. He said the university was facing multifarious issues which needed to be tackled on priority basis including establishment of good governance. He said he would be retiring on May 14, 2019.
Sindh High Court Larkana had ordered on the petition of Prof Sikandar Mughal about one and half year ago for appointment of proper Registrar in the University within two months but Sindh government did not post a competent person and violated the order. Dr Afsar Bhutto was posted for two months as SMBBMU Registrar by the government of Syed Murad Ali Shah but he is still continuing in sheer violation of standing orders of the court due to political backing, sources said.
The resignation of SMBBMU Vice Chancellor (VC) Prof Dr Ghulam Asghar Channa was accepted and Prof Ghulam Murtaza Pathan was directed to look after the charge of VC till fresh appointment is made. Despite non-availability of responsible proper officers, SMBBMU was granted Rs 949.747 million but Rs 966.726 million were spent on main campus but main buildings of the university are still incomplete despite passage of ten long years which showed that this university has been constantly ignored for unknown reasons by Sindh government.
The plinth level of the buildings is 4 to 5 feet below the Mohenjo Daro airport road level as no earth-filling work was carried to save the buildings from water-logging and salinity. It is also learnt that Higher Education Commission (HEC) sanctioned over one billion rupees but it is alleged that over Rs 44 crore were misappropriated and embezzled allegedly by university’s Project Director (PD) in connivance with two private contractors as pointed out by HEC Fact Finding Committee.
The university’s Syndicate decided to remove PD and ex-VC removed him but he was reinstated illegally in previous dates on July 26 which need to be probed thoroughly. The post of Director (HR), a post of BPS-20, is lying vacant since last two years but an employee of BPS-17 is looking after the charge who has been promoted from BPS-14.