Hopes are again alive for the AMU Kishanganj Centre with the newly appointed Vice-Chancellor Prof. Tariq Mansoor who may achieve a good balance with UGC / MHRD, Govt. of India. In fact, since its establishment, the three off-campus centres of AMU at Mallapuram , Kishanganj and Murshidabad suffered a lot due to financial crunch. Although, the Central government announced Rs. 135 crore for AMU Kishanganj Centre in November - December, 2015, but only Rs. 10 crore was released in January 2016. Similarly, the development as well as normal functioning of Mallapuram (Kerala) and Murshidabad (West Bengal) centres were badly hit due to fund scarcity.
Now the people concerned with the centres including global AMU Alumni are hopeful with the appointment of an academician Prof. T. Mansoor as the Vice-Chancellor. On 04.05.2017 as per the official notificiation of MHRD, President Pranab Mukherjee, in his capacity as Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) visitor, has appointed JN Medical College principal Tariq Mansoor its next vice-chancellor. According to sources, Mukherjee approved Mansoor for the post on Wednesday. The other contenders for the post were Dr. Abu Saleh Shareef, chief scholar & director of US India Policy Institute, Washington DC, and Dr. Shahid Jameel, CEO of the Welcome Trust.
Prof. Mansoor received the highest number of votes - 94 in all - at a meeting of the AMU court held on February 4, 2017. Born in the city of Aligarh itself, Prof. Mansoor is regarded as an able administrator. He has been the principal of JN Medical College since 2013. From 2006 to 2013, he had been the secretary of the University Games Committee. Besides being president of the Association of Surgeons from 2010 to 2011, he has been a member of the Medical Council of India since 2015 and that of the AMU Executive Council for 12 years. Prof. Mansoor is a recipient of the Senior Surgical Award from the Association of Surgeons of India, and as many as 49 students have earned MD degrees under him. He was also responsible for the construction of the pediatrics cardiology department at the medical college at a budget of Rs 1.5 crore.
However, there are many challenges before Prof. Mansoor as the new Vice-Chanellor of AMU. The biggest challenge Prof. Mansoor may face as the AMU vice-chancellor is achieving a better balance with the central government. He will also have to ensure that funds are released for AMU off-campus centres at Mallapuram , Kishanganj and Murshidabad, which are currently on verge of closing down due to shortage of funds. A case pertaining to the AMU’s minority status is also pending in the Supreme Court.
