PhD research centre: Nagpur University team to inspect Neeri next week

Nagpur: Students who are panicking for not being able to register themselves with the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (Neeri) for PhD need not worry anymore. The institute is in the process of completing the procedural requirements for being recognized as a ‘place for higher learning and research for PhD’ as per the new norms and guidelines for filling PhD registration forms online.Neeri has already completed all the paper work required from the institute and guides. However, a Nagpur University (NU) team is yet to verify infrastructure like library, laboratory, staff and financial status of the institute to certify it as a ‘place for higher learning and research for PhD’. Neeri officials met the NU officials on Wednesday and completed all the formalities for making way for the inspection.
“It is just a matter of time and procedural formalities. Neeri has complied with all the procedural requirements. Today Neeri team met the NU officials. University has assured a visit to the institute next week to certify the institute,” JS Pandey, science secretary and head of climate change division at Neeri, told TOI.
Many students who called up TOI about the issue said that instead of simplifying the registration, the online process has made the procedure more cumbersome. “While filling forms, there were many columns seeking information like institute’s registration number, status of guides etc which we were not aware of. Also, not all subject options were there in the form like biochemistry, physics, biotechnology, electronics etc. We approached the NU. We were then told to fill offline forms. But after that we still had no response from the university and hence the panicking,” said a student.
The Board of College and University Development (BCUD) director at NU Dinesh Agrawal too assured that the issue will be resolved in about one month’s time. “Neeri is a national laboratory of central government. There is no question at all of verifying its credibility. But as per the new UGC norms, NU has to follow the procedure for PhD registration whether it is being done online or offline. A committee headed by former pro-VC of NU, M Yenkie, will visit Neeri next week and submit its report to the BCUD. The report will be put before the academic council of the university for clearance. This would take about four weeks,” said Agrawal.
However, all these procedural requirements have cost the students six months. But Agrawal doesn’t see this as a delay at all. He says the students can continue with their research work even as the procedure is completed. “NU was following an MOU for research with Neeri signed in the 1980s. But after UGC made it mandatory that the place where students conduct their research should be recognized by the university, the new procedure has to be followed. Neeri has already paid the required fees of Rs50,000 and completed all the paper work,” said Agrawal.