3-member panel to probe PU fire

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 16

While the Panjab University authorities are saying that the documents gutted in Sunday’s fire will be retrieved, they are mum on the cash that was burnt. Sources have revealed that a contingency fund amounting  in lakhs is always kept in the accounts branch which also got burnt. The money is used for giving out, travel and daily allowances among other expenditures.

The authorities are either unaware of the amount or are mum about it. When enquired, Registrar GS Chadha said, “The inquiry committee formed will find out about the amount. I cannot tell you about it as it is not fixed.” He added that the amount ‘is not much’. Sources inform that two superintendents always have a few lakh rupees each which are kept inside the branch and are readily available for various purposes.

As of today, all the departments were adjusted in the administrative building with the accounts branch sitting in the syndicate committee room and senate committee room. All the floors above the burnt area are currently sealed due to safety concerns.

The committee 

A three- member committee has been formed by the PU to look into Sunday’s fire incident. The committee is headed by retired Judge JS Narang, RS Verma, former Director, Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), Chandigarh, and Dr Paramjeet Singh, former Registrar, Panjab University. The committee will be assisted by three technical advisors of the university, namely, Sumit Kaur, former Chief Architect, UT, Chandigarh, Yogesh Gupta, Chief Engineer, Punjab and AS Gulati, Chief Engineer, Punjab. Dr Vishal Sharma and Dr Sweta, faculty members of the department of forensic sciences and criminology, would be available for inputs and assistance to the committee. The committee will submit its report in three months.

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