Chandigarh, June 15
After years of toil, Punjab Engineering College here is all set to become a deemed university after clearance from the University Grants Commission that came last week.
When contacted, Prof Aruna Goel, a member of the commission, told ‘The Tribune’ that all groundwork was complete and only a “notification” from the Ministry of Human Resource Development was needed. This was just a formality, as the case had already been forwarded by Mr Murli Manohar Joshi, the HRD Minister.
The issue had been hanging fire for the past more than three decades. “It also figured at a meeting of the commission in April, when, due to objections regarding the infrastructure and a lack of research, the status was not granted,” Professor Goel said.
The UGC Act of 1956 says: “The Centre may, on the advice of the UGC, declare by notification in the official gazette that any institution of higher education other than a university would be considered a deemed university for the purpose of the Act. On such a declaration, all provisions of this Act would apply to such an institution as if it were a university.”
Professor Goel said decks had been cleared for academic and administrative independence of the institute. Its degrees would no longer bear the stamp of Panjab University.
Its proposed new name was PEC — National Institute of Technology.
