A delegation of PUTA, under the leadership of Prof. A.S. Ahluwalia, and Prof. Manjit Singh, President and Secretary PUTA respectively met S Prakash Singh Badal, Chief Minister, Punjab at the time of inauguration of World Punjabi Conference and submitted the following memorandum that was unanimously passed at the joint public rally of students and teachers:“Teachers and students of Panjab University have been suffering on account of financial crunch for quite some time now. Minister of Human Resources and Development has already sent a communication to you and UT administration in which it is explicitly stated that Centre is ready to bear 100% plan and non- plan expenditure of the University. It is a golden opportunity, and there is no reason that it should not be paid attention to. Sir, Panjab University is of Punjab not by name but also in terms of its character, structure and the composition of its students and faculty. More than 70% of the students hail from Punjab, 175 colleges of the state are affiliated to the University fall in Punjab. We the teachers and students under the banner of Panjab University Teachers Association and Panjab University Students Council,sincerely appeal you to give your consent to the letter lying with Punjab Government since July, 2007. By virtue of its location and history, Panjab University is duty bound to serve the region.Let us join hands and collectively save this academic heritage from dying a unnatural death for want of funds.”
After the submission of the memorandum the Chief Minister was explained about the bad financial condition of P.U. However Sardar Badal refused to commit anything on the issue. In the meanwhile PUTA and Students Council have given a call for the public protest on Monday, 31 March 2008 and all the teachers, students and research scholars are appealed to assemble at Students Centre, at 10.00 AM. and raise their voice against the double standards of Punjab Government. While Punjab Government is celebrating two central universities and one IIT announced for the state of Punjab, P.U. has
been left high and dry due to the obduracy of the Punjab Government.