Six member team to monitor merger of AUTs

Updated on: Thursday, December 29, 2011

A six-member team headed by additional chief secretary Sheela Balakrishnan will oversee the merger of the five Anna Universities of Technology with the parent Anna University in Chennai.

Rest of the committee members include, principle secretary(Higher education), Secretary(Expenditure in the state finance department, Law secretary, Commissioner of technical education and Joint secretary(Higher education).

The TN government had enacted the Tamilnadu University Law(Amendment and Repeal) Act 2011 to merge the AUTs in Coimbatore, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Tiruchi and Chennai with the premier Anna University. The Act was notified in the Gazette in late September but it was not given effect till date.

Few day ago, the Tamilnadu government has issued an order concerning this.

A number of issues will have to be addressed while carrying out the merger like changes in the affiliation process, transfer of students, conduct of examinations and transferring of staff, assets and liabilities of the AUTs to the Anna University.

“The committee will assess the properties, assets and liabilities of AUTs, take stock of the inventories, workout the strategy for maintenance of regional offices and confer powers and duties of the regional offices as per the Act,” the order said. The team will also prepare a list  of teaching, non-teaching and administrative staff and suggest ways to deploy them in their respective parent departments.

Audit teams will also be formed to prepare an inventory of movables like laptops, cell phones and cars in possession of the AUTs. “The assets should be verified against bills to ensure that assets in existence are those which were actually bought,” the order said.

The committee will function till the process of the merger is completed.

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