Kathmandu, September 1:

Vice Chancellor of the Tribhuvan University, Prof Dr Madhab Prasad Sharma, has appointed Prof Surya Lal Amatya as the rector and Dr Bhim Raj Adhikari as the registrar of the university.

Sharma appointed them exercising the special authority granted by the Tribhuvan University Act, 2045 (amended on August 22). The amended Act has authorised the VC to appoint officials in vacant posts for a period of three months.

Newly appointed rector Amatya is a professor of geography at the TU, while registrar Adhikari is working as associate professor of economics at the Birendra Multiple Campus in Bharatpur.

The posts of rector and registrar had been lying vacant in the university since the king-appointed officials were forced to quit in May 2006. Prof Mahendra Singh and Gita Bhakta Joshi had been working as rector and registrar respectively since then.

Since the posts were lying vacant, regular work of the TU was affected and the campuses were functioning with difficulty. The rector assists the VC in the academic programmes and the registrar assists the VC in management and administrative works. “It was very difficult to run the biggest university in the absence of the key officials,” said VC Sharma, adding that hopefully within three months there will be a final decision for the permanent appointments.