Chandigarh: ₹49 crore announced 2 years ago, PU yet to hear from Punjab
PU vice-chancellor Renu Vig says the university wrote to the state government numerous times for funds and also gave a letter to the Punjab governor regarding this, but to no avail
Over two years after the state government announced that it would provide ₹49 crore for expansion of a girls’ hostel and construction of a boys’ hostel in Punjab University’s south campus, the institution is still waiting for the same. PU vice-chancellor Renu Vig said the university wrote to the state government numerous times for funds. “A month ago, we handed a letter to the Punjab governor regarding this, but we haven’t heard from the government. The matter will be taken up in the PU’s board of finance meeting on Monday,” she said.
The state government’s announcement regarding the funds was made in July 2023 when Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann and education minister Meet Hayer had visited the varsity. PU officials, including the V-C and the registrar, were also called for the press conference. This proposal was first announced after Ayush Khatkar of AAP’s student wing, then called Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti, had won the Panjab University Campus Students Council elections in 2022. On August 25, 2023, a gazette notification was issued by the Punjab government wherein a ₹48.91 crore grant was announced by the CM for construction of more hostels on campus. The Punjab government, in its budget session on March 5, 2024, had announced an initial allocation of ₹40 crore in the 2024-25 financial year. But the university didn’t get funds.
PU officials said that after initial meetings, the Punjab government had seen the drawings prepared by the university but had requested that a detailed project report be submitted for this. An official said that the kind of report they had requested was outside the purview of PU’s expertise. PU had to hire a third party firm to prepare this report which allegedly cost them a few lakhs, thinking that the Punjab government will reimburse this expense. However, the Punjab government has neither responded to PU’s project report nor has it even offered to cover these expenses, PU officials said.
While a new boys hostel had to come up, the Punjab government had offered to fund the expansion of a girl’s hostel. The hostel in question, Devi Ahilyabai Hall or hostel number 11, was inaugurated on August 12. Only two floors have been constructed and the hostel houses only 60 students. The Punjab government was supposed to fund to construct four floors with the ₹49 crore grant. The hostel site appears to be an eyesore on the southern campus.
As per PU officials, Punjab has been paying its part for PU’s annual maintenance grant, even as its share is significantly lower than that of the Centre. Punjab also owes PU ₹21 crore between 2014-15 to 2019-20 for payments related to the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for SC students of Punjab. After 2020, Punjab had started direct benefit transfer (DBT) of funds to the accounts of eligible students, to be further paid to PU. However, an audit had found that students had yet to deposit funds to the tune of ₹13.5 crore to the varsity. An official confirmed that even from the last session. Majority of the payments from the scholars under the PMS scheme of Punjab are awaited.
