Punjabi university students, faculty hold protest seeking waiver of bank loan

Patiala, April 6

Academic and administrative work at Punjabi University campus, its constituent colleges, neighbourhood campuses andall 27 affiliated government colleges across the state stood hampered on Thursday after University students and faculty members launched a protest demanding waiver of the University’s bank loan.

While students and faculty members collectively held a protest on the University campus, students at government colleges and other centres blocked college entry gates and prevented any work. The same left college faculty members and non-teaching staff a harried lot.

The University students, faculty members and non-teaching staff under the banner ‘Punjabi University Bachao Morcha’ have been demanding waiver of the University’s bank loan for long. This is while the state government recently allocated Rs 90 crore as salary grant to the University. Though the University said the state government had increased their grant, the students expressed doubts on the same and also demanded a loan waiver for the University.

Alleging that the state government had failed in fulfilling the Chief Minister’s assurance of clearing the University’s Rs 150 crores bank loan, they had called for a complete boycott of classes, halt on academic and administrative work and urged students at colleges to hold rallies and protests.

The students also demanded that the state government should pay for all expenditure of higher educational institutes in the state.

Rajdeep Singh, a faculty member at the department of laws on the University campus, said, “The protest was held at all 11 constituent colleges, 4 neighbourhood campuses and 27 affiliated government colleges in the state. It will continue till the evening. We want the state government to waive off the University’s bank loan.”

Meanwhile, the protest did not go down well with a number of college teachers.

Professor Amit Samra, president of Government College Teachers’ Association (GCTA), Punjab, said the entry of students and employees at all government affiliated institutions was hampered without prior notice and consent. “This left many teachers, especially women employees, harassed. The faculty members of the affiliated government colleges did not participate in this protest, rather they were left troubled.”