Chandigarh,18 May:It was the 42nd day of the chain fast held jointly by the teachers and students of the campus. They are demanding central university status for P.U. about which now almost everyone is convinced except the government of Punjab. It was the Physical Education department that sat on the fast today. Among the teachers were Dalwinder Singh, Th. Nandlal Singh, both from the department of Physical Education, and Jivesh Bansal from the Central Library. Three research scholars from the department of Physical Education, Mohit Singh, Yogesh Man, and Cherish Salam also sat on the fast for the day.
Panjab University is trying hard to excel in sports, and it did win All India Inter-University competition in Yatching, Judo and Archery this year, but the severe financial crunch of the University is a major obstacle in providing modern infrastructure to the sportspersons on the campus, said Dalwinder Singh, department of Physical Education. The cost of sports facilities such as synthetic track, velodrome, shooting range and techno gym with proper equipments runs into crores of rupees which PU cannot afford under the given circumstances. The sports are taking on the character of ‘capital-intensive industry’ whose ‘products’ are supposed to compete at the global level. Under the given circumstances, it would be futile to hope miracles in the sports. We don’t have even sufficient coaches, the easiest thing to do, said Th. Nandlal Singh, another teacher from the department of Physical Education.
When asked from the research scholars of department of Physical Education that what is most urgent requirement of the department, Mohit Singh, a research scholar told it is Human Performance Lab at the moment.
In the meanwhile Prof. D.N. Jauhar, Department of Laws made an open appeal to all the alumni of the University, who met here today on the Annual General Body Meeting, that it is their duty to come forward in support of the agitating teachers and students for the central university status for P.U.
