Protest against shifting of Education and Engineering Colleges from Kurukshetra University 

Kurukshetra, august 2 --- Great resentment prevails not only amongst Kurukshetra University community but the public at large here over the move of Haryana Government to shift self-finance educational and engineering Institutions to two other separate Universities in Haryana from this academic session.

169 Education Colleges and 50 Engineering Colleges affiliated with Kurukshetra University have been shifted to Ch. Ranbir Singh University, Jind and Ch. Chautu Ram Engineering University, Murthal following the orders by the Haryana government.

A large number of eminent persons from here had represented the Haryana Chief minster two months back against the move stating that it would curtail the status of Kuurkshetra University, which is the first and prime university of Haryana, besides causing hardship to students and financial loss to Kurukshetra University. Later, a delegation of five MLAS of norther part of Haryana including Haryana Minister Krishan Bedi and Karan Kamboj under the leadership of Kurukshetra Member of Parliament, Raj Kumar Saini met the Haryana Chief Minister, to convey the feelings of the public and demanded that the move must be curtailed.

Though, as per Mr. Saini, Chief Minister assured to review the move and ordered that the colleges must be shifted in a phased manner, on experimental basis. However, the bureaucracy not only overlooked the note of Principal Secretary to Chief Minister but fast tracked the process of shifted and then took a stand that the Institutions had already been affiliated to Jind University, and nothing could be done now.

Kurukshetra University Teachers Association (KUTA), Kurukshetra Non-Teaching Employees Association (KUNTEA) and Pensioner Welfare Association Kurukshetra University had passed separate resolution to condemned the move stating that it would ruin the oldest University of Haryana.

While members of KUNTEA went on a token strike today to press their demands including to the demand of reversal of these colleges to KU, in a statement, President KUTA, Dr. Sanjiv Sharma condemned the move and announced that teachers would start an agitation if these colleges are not reversed back to Kurukshetra University. In a letter to Chief Minister, President of Pensioner Welfare Association, Madan Gopal said that the policies of the state government during last 20 years had ruined the prime university financially. He said that University needs Rs. 80 crores to meet its budget deficit but the State government is adamant to provide only 20 percent of it. He said that earlier Pharmacy colleges affiliated with KU were shifted to Pt. Bhagwat Dyal PGI at Rohtak, and now educational and engineering colleges have also been shifted.    

It has its political fallout also, as President, Indian National Lok Dal, Haryana, Ashok Arora accused the Haryana government for its adamant attitude which would ‘destroy’ the ‘existence’ of Kurukshetra University. Addressing a party members meeting here on Monday, Arora said that Haryana government is taking such decisions ‘intentionally’ which would cause financial crunch for Kurukshetra University. He said that the shifting of these colleges besides causing great hardship to the students would cause an annual loss of Rs. 30 crores to Kurukshetra University. He said that Kurukshetra University is already at a loss of Rs. 80 crores annually and many times employees are not paid their salaries for months together. The problem would further aggravate with this move. Describing it as injustice with this area, he hoped that good sense would prevail and that colleges would be reverted back here.

General secretary, Haryana Pradesh congress Committee (HPCC), Pawan Garg condemned the move and expressed surprise that on one hand Haryana Chief minister is making statements on daily basis that they would develop Kurukshetra to bring it on world map but his present move is to remove Kurukshetra from the map of State even. He said that Kurukshetra University is historic as Kurukshetra is known world over as land of holy Gita. Infact, Kurukshetra must be developed as a cluster of knowledge and learning rather than reducing the status of present University, he added.

He recalled that 20 years back engineering colleges affiliated with Kurukshetra University were shifted to newly established Guru Jambeshwar University at Hissar. However, the then Chief Minister Bhajan Lal ordered the reversal of the shifting following the resentment expressed over the move by the local people here. He urged the Chief minster to honour the opinion of the public here and ensure that these colleges are shifted back to their original University at the earliest.     

   Photo—KU main gate