Haryana Vidhan Sabha Speaker Gian Chand Gupta on Saturday urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah that the colleges in the Panchkula and Ambala district should be affiliated with the Panjab University Chandigarh.
The Speaker who had sent the letter to consider the restoration of original status/share of Haryana in Panjab University, through the Chief Minister Manohar Lal, has said that few days back, the students studying in the colleges of Panchkula district had sent him a letter requesting to affiliate all the Colleges of Panchkula district with Panjab University Chandigarh.
He said students had shared that for them taking admission in Chandigarh and Panjab colleges education becomes costlier and this also deprives them of their right for admissions in certain streams of education in Panjab University as they are treated in 15 per cent quota category (Rest of India) as against 85 per cent for Union Territory, Chandigarh (Colleges affiliated with Panjab University) .
In the sent letter, Gupta has further highlighted that as per section 72 and sub-sections 3 and 4 of the Panjab Reorganization Act, 1966, Chandigarh is a joint property of Panjab and Haryana. He has said that as per Section 72 sub- sections (3) and (4) of Panjab Reorganization Act 1966, Panjab University, is a joint property of the States of Panjab and Haryana. Apart from this the Haryana State had the representation in the Senate/Syndicate, Governing Body of University but this system was not continued during the regime of the then Haryana Chief Minister Bansi Lal (since October 1997)
The Speaker has mentioned that in the beginning the University’s budget was shared by the State of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh Administration. At present the maximum funding is made by Government so India. Even the Panjab State Government has refused to pay the nominal share to the Panjab University and the financial crises are being faced by the University. In the year 1956 when Panjab University was relocated to Chandigarh, then the Haryana Government had provided its share to Panjab University amounting to Rs. 10-20 crore annually or in the ratio of 60:40 time to time.
In the letter, he has further said that if the affiliation of colleges of Panchkula and Ambala districts will be extended to Panjab University, it will certainly increase the University’s revenue with the admission fee and exam fee etc. He has further mentioned that as per the Panjab Reorganization Act, 1966, in many ways this is the absolute right of the Haryana State to get the affiliation for its colleges but it is being ignored. He said that the restoration of original Status of Panjab University and share of Haryana State will certainly give many benefits to Haryana and also to pave the way for representation of Haryana Government in Senate and Syndicate, the governing body and for centralized admission for Haryana School Education Board Students.
Gupta said he had raised this issued during his formal meeting with the Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu and had urged him to take necessary steps in this regard , while the Vice President had also assured the Speaker that every possible step will be taken.
