HRD ministry rejects extension for IIM-A director

By IANS

Ahmedabad : The human resource development (HRD) ministry has declined to give a three-month extension to Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A), director Bakul H. Dholakia, whose tenure ends Wednesday.


Support TwoCircles

Dholakia Monday told reporters here that he had received a communication from the chairman of the IIM-A board that he should step down.

“I shall be stepping down tomorrow and will hand over the charge to Jayant Varma, who is the dean of the institute, on Wednesday,” said Dholakia, adding, “This has been the convention in the past as well”.

According to institute sources, the IIM-A governing body headed by Vijaypat Singhania approached the ministry to give Dholakia an extension of 90 days but the ministry did not favour suggestion.

“The governing body had appealed to the ministry but they did not listen to it. The professors, staff and media know it well that the HRD ministry does not have good relations with our director and they do not want him to continue,” said a senior official of the premier business school on condition of anonymity.

“He was appointed for a period of five years. He took charge of the post of director on Oct 10, 2002 and officially his tenure ends on coming Wednesday. They (ministry) did a simple thing by not renewing his appointment period,” the official said.

During his media interaction, Dholakia presented a seven-page note highlighting the achievements of the IIM-A during his tenure in terms of placement of students, collaboration with international universities and higher ranking among world universities and institutions.

Though Dholakia is relinquishing office Wednesday, the ministry is yet to find his successor.

The ministry has short-listed S.K. Barua and G. Raghuram, two senior professors of the same institute, to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) for final selection, according to the sources.

SUPPORT TWOCIRCLES HELP SUPPORT INDEPENDENT AND NON-PROFIT MEDIA. DONATE HERE