By ARUN PRATAP SINGH
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 24 Jul: The Uttarakhand Government has appointed Amit Sinha, senior IPS officer and currently posted as ADG, as the first Vice Chancellor of Uttarakhand Sports University. However, strangely, the appointment has been made on interim basis for 1 year or till a regular appointment is made, whatever happens early. It may be recalled that usually, when a new government university is set up, the government reserves the right to appoint the first Vice Chancellor of the University, and the usual term is three years. Why, in this case, an interim appointment has been made remains unclear.
It may be recalled that construction work for the Uttarakhand Sports University is progressing rapidly, with preparations underway for its foundation stone laying ceremony on the upcoming National Sports Day, 29 August. Ahead of this, the Uttarakhand government has already appointed officials to three crucial positions, namely, the Vice Chancellor, Registrar, and Finance Controller. An order in this regard has been issued by the Uttarakhand government, announcing that Amit Sinha, currently the Special Principal Secretary for Sports, has been given the responsibility as Vice-Chancellor.
The post is considered to be a full time post even though it can be held on a deputation basis, which means, that Sinha is likely to be relieved of his current responsibilities like ADG and Special Principal Secretary to the government. Concurrently, Sports Director Ashish Chauhan has been entrusted with the role of Registrar for the Sports University, while VN Pandey, Finance Officer of the Sports Directorate, has been appointed as the Finance Controller. With the appointments of the Vice-Chancellor, Registrar, and Finance Controller for the Sports University, Sports Minister Rekha Arya has directed the appointed officials to accelerate all tasks related to the university’s establishment. All the three appointments have been made on interim basis.
These three posts were created for the operation of the Uttarakhand State Sports University Bill, 2025. Following the creation of these positions for the Sports University, the Uttarakhand government has made interim appointments for the Vice-Chancellor, Registrar, and Finance Controller. According to the order issued by the Uttarakhand government regarding these appointments, these are temporary postings for a maximum period of one year or until appointments are made.
Rekha Arya has claimed that these ex-officio appointments have been made to ensure the smooth functioning of all administrative tasks required for the university’s establishment. The Sports Minister stated that the three officials would initially oversee the university’s activities, and these temporary appointments would remain valid until permanent officials are appointed. The salary for the Vice-Chancellor’s post has been approved at Rs 2.10 lakh, along with a special allowance of Rs 5,000. For the Registrar, the approved pay scale is Rs 78,800-Rs 209,200 (Level-12), and for the Finance Controller, it is Rs 123,100-Rs 215,900 (Level-13). It is worth noting that the Sports University will be constructed in Gola Par, Haldwani, and efforts will also be made to open 23 sports academies across eight cities in the state.
