Chandigarh,2May:Today is the 26th day of the Chain Fast on the campus organized by the Joint Action Committee to demand central university status for Panjab University. With the passage of every day the legitimacy and urgency of the demand is seeping deep and wide not only within the campus but also outside of it. Some of the former students of the P.U. have approached the leadership of JAC and expressed their desire to shoulder the ongoing agitation by sitting on the Chain Fast for a day on the 10th May. Similarly the pensioners, senior faculty members, are also moved by the boldness of the agitating teachers, students and employees and have offered to sit on the fast. JAC welcomes them all. The P.U. Library Staff has also found a slot in the chain fast for the 14th May and they will continue to sit during the subsequent weeks as well.
In the meanwhile PUTA, looking at the massive response from the P.U community, as also from outside the campus, in its meeting held today has decided to intensify the agitation. When P.U. has already accepted the directive of Union Government of implementing 7 per cent OBC quota meant for centrally funded universities, where is the hitch to take responsibility for fully funding P.U. by MHRD, asked Prof. Rajan Gaur, Vice-President PU
Prof. Manjit Singh, Coordinator, JAC said that scorching heat of May-June has failed to deter the determination of the people to fight the decisive battle for saving P.U. from the serious financial crunch. In view of the Rs.50 thousand crore debt of Punjab Government, the only hope to save P.U. is from the Central Government. P.U. is our national heritage and sooner its due status is recognized by the government better it would be, said Prof. Singh.
The collective efforts of the P.U. community have started bearing fruits and some positive moves, both at the level of the state and Center are reported. However, unconfirmed reports from here-say should be believed with a pinch of salt, and we would continue our agitation as vigorously as ever, said Prof A.S. Ahluwalia, Chairman, JAC.
In the meanwhile Parminder Jaswal, President, Students Council said that there are more than 20 thousand students in Chandigarh and we will appeal them to register in the voting lists of Chandigarh as more than 6 months of stay at Chandigarh make them eligible for the enrolment. We will create a situation where political parties could ill afford ignoring Yuva Satta, said Jaswal.
For the today’s chain fast it was the day of Department of Correspondence Studies. Those who sat on the fast among the teachers were Prof. Jaspal Kaur Kaang, Dr Swarnjit Kaur, Dr Ram Mehar and Dr Jeesu Jaskanwar Singh, while a research scholar Gurdeep Singh from the Department of Punjabi also joined them.