SHIMLA, March 30: Himachal Pradesh University has begun formal preparations to revive the long-pending recruitment process for non-teaching staff, with the matter now set to be taken up with the state government for approval. The move comes after the issue was discussed in a meeting of the university’s Executive Council, where members decided to formally push the matter forward.
Vice-Chancellor Prof. Mahavir Singh told the meeting that the university would soon prepare and send a proposal to the government so that the recruitment process for vacant posts can finally move ahead. The issue has remained unresolved for years, even as vacancies continued to grow across administrative and support branches inside the campus.
The recruitment delay has become especially significant because HPU had invited applications back in 2020 for posts such as clerks, JOA-IT and other categories, and thousands of candidates had applied and paid fees. But that selection process never reached completion, leaving both applicants and the institution in prolonged uncertainty.
More Than 200 Vacancies Are Now Affecting Daily University Work
While the Executive Council meeting did not officially place a final vacancy number on record, data that has surfaced earlier through RTI-based disclosures indicates that more than 200 non-teaching and Class-IV posts have been lying vacant in the university for a long time.
That staffing gap is now beginning to show clearly in day-to-day operations. Administrative branches, office sections and university departments are facing growing pressure due to a shortage of regular staff. The burden is especially visible in the examination branch, file movement, documentation and student-facing services, where delays have increasingly become part of routine functioning.
In several places, work is reportedly being handled through temporary arrangements or by redistributing responsibilities among existing employees. While that may help in the short term, university officials appear to have acknowledged that it cannot be treated as a long-term administrative solution.
Fresh Recruitment Will Depend on Government Approval
The university’s Executive Council has made it clear that state government approval will be necessary before the recruitment process can formally begin. That means the current development should be seen as the first serious administrative step, not the start of actual appointments just yet.
Once the proposal is sent and approved, the university will be in a position to move toward a fresh recruitment process for the vacant non-teaching posts. That is likely to be closely watched not only by job aspirants but also by current students and staff, many of whom have been dealing with the impact of understaffing for years.
The development is significant because it signals that HPU is finally moving beyond internal discussion and toward a formal administrative route. For thousands of candidates who have waited since the earlier recruitment cycle stalled, the next step will now depend on how quickly the state government responds.
