KTU Syndicate meeting adjourned for want of quorum

The special Syndicate meeting of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University convened on Wednesday to pass the annual budget was adjourned due to lack of quorum.

Government nominees including senior bureaucrats abstained from the meeting, pushing the university further into an administrative and financial crisis.

Only four Syndicate members, viz., the Vice-Chancellor, Registrar, Dean (Academic) and Dean (Research), turned up for the meeting that required a minimum quorum of five attendees.

Vice-Chancellor in-charge K. Sivaprasad had recently moved the Kerala High Court seeking directions to ensure that government’s nominees including the Secretaries of the Finance and Higher Education Departments, and the Director of Technical Education, attended the meeting. The court has directed the government to file a counter affidavit, and has posted the case for further hearing on August 19.

The delay in passing the budget disrupted payment of salaries last month, and disbursal of two months’ pensions. Besides, the university owed large sums to various service providers including nearly ₹86 lakh to Keltron.