PAU authorities, students lock horns over hostel rooms
Charanjit Singh Teja
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, August 24
The authorities of Punjab Agricultural University and inmates of Hostel No. 7 locked horns over the implementation of change in hostel rules. Last night, students gheraoed the residence of Vice-Chancellor Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon and staged a protest from 10 pm to 4 am.
The Deans and Directors of various colleges tried to pacify students but failed. The authorities finally asked students to meet at the VC’s office at 10 am. More than 100 students reached the VC office, but no one from the authority was present.
Security guards locked the gates of Thapar Hall (VC Office). A student injured his arm from a glass shard while trying to enter the office premises. Irked over the injury, students raised slogans against the authorities.
After a few hours, Director Students Welfare Dr Ravinder Kaur Dhaliwal and Estate Officer Dr Jaskaran Singh came outside the VC office and asked students to leave the spot.
They asked five students to attend the meeting with authorities, but students refused and instead asked them to conduct the meeting with all students.
The authorities called the police who tried pacifying the protesting students.
Dr Jaskarn Singh, Dean, College of Agricultural Engineering and Estate Officer, said there were around 185 students of PhD and MSc, who had applied for the hostel.
“We have 150 rooms in Hostel No. 7, where we used to allot single room to one student. Now, we have planned to allot one room to two students to address the shortage. Only 15 students need to share rooms with someone of his choice,” he said.
Meanwhile, students alleged that the authorities have failed to meet the hostel requirements in the past 50 years. Rooms in Hostel No. 7 were meant for one research scholar and the practice has been followed from the past four decades. “The university has to construct hostels to meet the demand. Why are they harassing students after collecting hefty fee? If we allow sharing of rooms, the university will fill the hostel with extra students,” a student said.
