MULTAN, Feb 8: The Bahauddin Zakariya University syndicate has rejected a proposal that the firm accused of committing irregularities in the construction of the university's convocation hall, should be allowed to continue the work.

The proposal to allow the firm to carry on the work after submitting a bank guarantee was reportedly floated by BZU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Ghulam Mustafa Chaudhry in the syndicate meeting held on Sunday.

Sources said that the meeting was of the view that the fate of the contractor should be decided in the light of the findings of a three-member committee, constituted by the syndicate to look into the alleged substandard construction of the Rs40m convocation hall.

Headed by the physics department chairman Prof Dr Ashraf Chaudhry, the committee had reportedly recommended that the construction firm should be blacklisted. The amount spent on the substandard work should also be recovered from the construction firm.

The work has been declared substandard by the experts of the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, besides other professionals. Three senior officers of the university's construction wing have been suspended from service for their role in the construction of convocation hall.

Recommendations of the last selection board were also brought on the agenda for the approval of syndicate, including the 'controversial' appointment of Associate Professor Dr Tajjamal of the BZU's engineering college.

The syndicate deferred the elevation of Dr Tajjamal as professor in BS 20 when controversy emerged that whether his eight publications were published in journals or these were proceedings of some seminars. Sources said that it was decided that the opinion of some engineering universities should be sought in this regard.

The meeting nominated Assistant Professor Ali Asghar Saleemi to take care of the speedy processing of the promotion cases of the teachers and other staff which the university management had not so far presented for consideration before the syndicate.

It was decided that the university management should bring all the appointments made on contract basis in the recent years before the syndicate for consideration and approval.

Sources said a senior teacher pointed out that the minutes of the Dec 6 syndicate meeting had no mention of the fact that VC Dr Mustafa Chaudhry withdrew his candidature for the post of professor emeritus on the direction of chancellor/governor Khalid Maqbool that no sitting vice-chancellor could become a candidate for this post. The teacher stressed that the fact should be duly admitted to keep the record straight.