DU stalemate: Hectic efforts on to work out solution

The admission process in the Delhi University remained stalled for the third day today even as hectic negotiations were on between the varsity and the UGC over a compromise formula suggested by a group of academicians to resolve the stalemate over the undergraduate programme.
The DU ignored the UGC directive to commence the admission process, deferred since Tuesday, at once and instead wrote to the UGC recommending consideration of a six-point proposal mooted by some academcians which among other things sought replacement of the controversial four year undergraduate programme with a three years honours course.
Official sources said there was agreement on five of the six points under discussion and stalemate persisted on the idea that students wishing to study a fourth year can be offered a research programme in the honours course within an overall credit based system with the approval of the regulatory bodies.

Shortly after receiving the letter from DU, UGC chairman Ved Prakash met HRD Minister Smriti Irani for an hour and also held deliberartions with senior ministry officials.
Officials said UGC had categorically made it clear to DU to start admission under the three year programme or face freezing of grants.
The discussions went on till late in the night in the HRD Ministry but there was no word on what was the outcome.
Earlier in the day, ignoring UGC's directive to start the admission process for undergraduate courses this morning, the DU threw the ball back in the UGC's court by forwarding the academicians' proposal.