PGIMER postpones convocation owing to renovation work

PGIMER director, Dr Jagat Ram, said the convocation ceremony which was held in February last year will be held after August this year

The Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, has postponed its annual convocation as the administration has decided to prioritise renovation of the institute’s 50-year-old Bhargava auditorium.

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PGIMER director, Dr Jagat Ram, said the convocation ceremony which was held in February last year will be held after August this year.

“The date for convocation will be decided after the auditorium gets upgraded. The renovation will include re-designing of all engineering services of the 1,000-seater auditorium,” he said.

He said even the seats of the auditorium were installed in the auditorium more than 25 years ago and it will not be suitable for conducting the event, which is most likely to be attended by the health minister.

They said some electrical work will be done and upgraded fire fighting equipment will also be installed.

Around ₹8 crore will be spent on the renovation, they added.

The renovation also includes preparation of concept designs, architectural drawings,
interior and structural drawings.

“We are keen to conduct the event every year. We will finish renovating the auditorium within two months and initiate the paperwork,” Ram said.

Last year, the convocation that was being held after three years was scheduled on February 4, but owing to unavailability of chief guest JP Nadda, former president of the institute and union minister of health and family welfare minister, the event was rescheduled.

This had saddened the resident doctors and they said that they would like to get degrees from Dr Jagat Ram instead of getting it from a person who had no respect for the profession. Consequently the institute had apologised to the doctors for postponing the event.