PU set to build reading hall

Addressing the long pending demand of residents of the Girls’ hostels of Panjab University (PU), the varsity has decided to construct a reading hall adjacent to Girls Hostel no 4.

An amount of Rs 20 lakh has been sanctioned for the same by MP Pawan Kumar Bansal under the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) fund.
Members of the Panjab University Campus Students’ Council (PUCSC), led by its president Chandan Rana and National Student Union of India (NSUI) president Manoj Lubana, had earlier submitted a memorandum to Bansal highlighting the need of common reading halls in girls hostels.
In response, Bansal had made a recommendation to Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Shayin to sanction Rs 20 lakh under the MPLADS fund for construction of the same.
“The increasing demand of hostels has compelled most students to live on a sharing basis in the hostels. Due to this, self-study in the room becomes difficult. Unlike boys, the girls cannot avail the facility of the reading hall in the AC Joshi Library at night,” said Dean Student Welfare Professor Navdeep Goyal. A letter received by PU vice-chancellor Professor Arun Kumar Grover also mentions that Bansal has asked for an additional Rs 5 lakh for another stall at the Student Centre.