Faculty shoots e-mail against IIT-I director

INDORE: With tenure of present Indian Institute of Technology, Indore (IIT-I) director Pradeep Mathur coming to end in December this year, a section of faculty and staff of premier technology institute have shot off e-mails to Union HRD minister Smriti Irani raising concerns over his functioning.
Fearing renewal of Dr Mathur's term as director, faculty members from institute sent e-mails, copies of which are with TOI, seeking attention of the minister on issues, including land transfer for permanent campus, faculty recruitment, skewed distribution of funds, extravagance, faculty promotions, spending in convocation 2013 and library purchases.
One of e-mails states: "Most heads and deans are unhappy with existing regime, but due to fear of retribution they hold themselves back. We request you to meet with faculty members individually instead of meeting in public platforms for knowing real picture. All allegations can be verified independently, but someone has to bell the cat. We wish to remain anonymous as he is known to be quite revengeful and can harm us."
The aggrieved faculty members have raised questions over his alleged stay in hotels in the city even though the institute was paying house rent for his plush bungalow. Expenditure on his frequent foreign visits too has been questioned in another e-mail sent to the Union minister.
Another e-mail states ? All purchases at IIT-Indore are from Unicom Computers. Rs 4 crore was spent to conduct convocation in 2013, whereas suggestion by Engineers of Estate Section, showing way to organize programme for Rs 10 lakh was deliberately ignored.
In June, the IIT-I had shifted its one block to permanent campus site at Simrol, which faculty allege is an exercise in image building. "There is no proper alternative space for instruments or the personnel. Staff members are transferred from one section to another section arbitrarily and memos are issued on a daily basis to senior staff members," the e-mail stated.
Refuting all allegations mentioned in e-mails, IIT-I director Pradeep Mathur told TOI on Sunday, "All allegations are baseless. None of faculty member has ever raised issues with IIT forum, which takes up such complaints. The data and facts are not true. I am open to all kinds of investigation."