Dr JJ Irani, director of the TATA sons who is also the chairman of the board of Governors at the IIM-L, expressed his displeasure on Saturday over the fact that the government has been sitting on the director’s appointment file for months. Irani said it was “an attempt to hamper the autonomy of the IIMs”.

“We are supposed to be an autonomous institute but if we cannot appoint our own director. Where is our autonomy?” asked Irani, who was at the IIM-L to participate in the Business Conclave, Manfest-2009, organised by the students of IIM-L.

“The proposed names from our end were submitted long time back to the government. Probably, there are too many people and too many levels in the government, which the file is supposed to go through. We have now even lost track of the file and do not know where it is stuck at present,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of the Board of Governors, Irani said: “It has taken painfully long and we, as board of directors, are worried and sad.” Moreover, PC Purwar, who is at present holding the director’s chair, was not willing to take up the charge of the officiating director due to health constraints. “But we managed to convince him as we thought it is a matter of three to four weeks,” said Irani.