Chandigarh, August 8, 2022 (Yes Punjab News)
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today said even though the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) claimed it championed the cause of agriculture, the Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) was in its worst ever state in its tenure with all top posts lying empty including that of the vice chancellor.
In a statement here, SAD senior leader Maheshinder Singh Grewal said it was shocking that besides the vice chancellor, even the post of Registrar, Dean Research and Director Extension Education had not been filled on a regular basis for one and a half years. “One could say the Congress party government was busy in faction fights, but what is preventing you from filling the top posts in PAU on a regular basis since the last five months”, Mr Grewal asked chief minister Bhagwant Mann.
Asserting that even teaching had been compromised, Mr Grewal said a large number of posts had fallen vacant but were not being filled. He said even Assistant Professors appointed two years back had not been paid regular salaries till now. “Teaching staff are not being given their scales due to which the University has witnessed a sustained protest by them but still nothing has been done to address their grievances”.
Asserting that lip sympathy would not stem the rot which had set into the prestigious University, Mr Maheshinder Grewal said “in case PAU crumbles the entire agriculture research programme of the State will be compromised and farmers will be denied valuable extension services”. He demanded that the government appoint a regular vice chancellor immediately besides filling up all top posts as well as all vacancies. He also demanded the University be given an endowment fund on the pattern of the Rs 300 crore given to the institution during the erstwhile SAD led government to enable it to function effectively.
The SAD leader also expressed anguish that the chief minister was impervious to the plight of agitating students of PAU who were demanding the government fill up 1,000 vacant posts in the Agriculture and Horticulture department. He said providing jobs to youth was the main plank of AAP but it was unfortunate that rather than creating new jobs the government was not even filling vacancies.
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