Shocked by the Centres decision to derecognise their university status,the representatives of 17 deemed universities in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry met on Wednesday and sought time to rectify their alleged short-comings. Addressing the media after the meeting,M K Padmanabhan,V-C,Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute (Dr MGR University),said that the HRD Ministry should apprise each institute of their deficiencies instead of issuing a blanket statement on any proposed derecognition. We are ready to address the issues,if there are any as alleged. But we should be given time for that, he said. It is also learnt that the universities may implead themselves in the case,after the recent affidavit by the Centre put their deemed-to-be-university status in jeopardy. Criticising the Tandon Committee,which had been set up to look into whether the deemed universities were justified in claiming that status,the representatives pointed out that the report submitted by the UGC team,which had the same terms of reference,had been favourable to the universities. While the UGC committee spent many days in each of the universities before presenting its findings (expressing satisfaction about the facilities),the Tandon Committee based its report on the presentations that each varsity made at a meeting in Delhi,charged Padmanabhan. Meanwhile,the students unrest reported in some campuses on Tuesday spread to two more universities. Students of Vels University,Chennai,and Prist,Thanjavur,were up in arms following reports about the recommendation to derecognise their institutes. At the Ponnaiyah Ramajayam Institute of Science and Technology (Prist) University,enraged students damaged the security building at the campus before staging a road roko on the Thanjavur-Tiruchi highway. The police and district administration then held discussions with the varsity management,which announced indefinite closure. Vels University,where angry students went on a rampage has also declared it will be closed for a week.
