IIT-D Director signs off

R.K. Shevgaonkar, director of the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, bid farewell in his customary New Year circular to staff and students.

He resigned last week and the Human Resource Development Ministry denied reports that it was due to government pressure. His resignation is yet to be accepted by President Pranab Mukherjee, who holds the post of Visitor to the institute.

Prof. Shevgaonkar has left for Mumbai and will be there till January 11. “This is my last New Year message as Director of IIT-Delhi as I have formally resigned and am waiting for my relieving orders ... Care needs to be taken that the internal differences are not exploited by the outsiders to affect our functioning,” he said in the e-mailed circular.

Prof. Shevgaonkar listed the year’s achievements which included the setting up of a one megawatt solar plant on the campus and the introduction of the post-doctoral fellowship programme. He added that the focus for 2015 should be on raising the international ranking of the Institute. IIT-D had fallen from rank 36 to 38 in the Quacquarelli Symonds World Asian Universities Ranking for 2013. It stayed at 38 in 2014 too. International tie-ups, like the International Institute of Technology Research Association, Mauritius, an IIT professor said, were an attempt to improve the rankings.