BU V-C lands in another controversy

There seems to be no relief from controversies for Bangalore University vice chancellor N Prabhu Dev. After all the drama that unfolded in the Bangalore University, now the setting up of State Rural Health Systems Commission (SRHSC) to accommodate him, too, has run into rough weather as it has triggered a turf war between the medical education and health departments.

There is an allegation against the state government that the commission has been set up up just to favour Prabhu Dev. Now, the setting up of the commission itself is being questioned.
As per the decision taken in the cabinet on setting up of the SRHSC, the administrative powers of the commission will come under state department of medical education, but all the procedures and files are being handled by the department of health and family welfare. Both are separate and independent departments.

Following the rejection of file by the medical education minister SA Ramdas and his department secretary KS Prabhakar questioning the appointment of Prabhu Dev as chairman of the SRHSC, the file was sent to health and family welfare department. Now, the orders have been issued by the principal secretary of health and family welfare department, Madan Gopal and his subordinates.

The higher officials from the medical education department have questioned this move. “We were the authority to handle the files as per the cabinet decision (the administrative powers), but both our minister and secretary sent back the files questioning the proposal to appoint Prabhu Dev as chairmen for the commission. Later the government has forwarded the file to Health department. This is not according to the law,” said a senior official of the medical education department.

Health minister Aravinda Limbavali had cleared the file which was rejected by Ramdas on appointing Prabhudev as chairman), and the same has been handled by principal secretary of health department Madan Gopal, which was earlier sent back by Prabhakar, secretary of the medical education department.
According to higher officials from the medical education department, if anyone questioned the procedure followed by the government in setting up of SRHSC in the court, it will be stayed.

Even the finance department had questioned the necessity of setting up SRHSC three months back. But following pressure by some ministers, the state government again sent it to finance department for approval. On Saturday, finance department again sent back the file asking the government for a brief on the eligibility criteria for appointing chairmen of the commission.