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Ludhiana: Tickets sold, stage set, but nod for Diljit concert still awaited
According to PAU vice-chancellor Satbir Singh Gosal, the university has not granted formal permission for the concert so far; officials have told organisers not to allow liquor during the event
Preparations for the Diljit Dosanjh concert, scheduled for December 31 at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), began on Tuesday. The organisers are yet to receive official permission from the university. The event, a part of Dosanjh’s popular ‘Dil-Luminati’ tour, is expected to draw massive crowds, but concerns over procedural lapses have surfaced.
According to information, officials have also told the organisers not to allow any liquor in any of their exclusive lounges. PAU vice-chancellor Satbir Singh Gosal confirmed that the university has not granted formal permission for the concert so far. “We conducted a meeting on Monday evening and asked the organisers to submit their request in writing. As of now, I have not received any such communication,” he said.
Additionally, the university has explicitly directed the concert team to ensure no liquor is served in any of the event’s exclusive lounges. While the official nod remains pending, work on the stage and elaborate setup is already underway at PAU’s football ground. Local sources have revealed that the concert team is proceeding with preparations, assuming that approval will follow.
Tickets for the event, ranging from ₹4,999 for silver to ₹50,000 for the exclusive MIP Lounge, were sold out in just 13 minutes when the sales went live. This extraordinary demand has led to a secondary market for tickets, with many being resold on social media platforms at inflated prices, sparking concerns of black-market activities.
The concert’s popularity has also impacted local businesses, particularly restaurants and clubs, which usually see brisk business on New Year’s eve. A manager of a prominent city club, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “We had numerous bookings for DJ parties and live bands, but many customers have now canceled their reservations to attend the concert.”
Despite the controversy, Dosanjh’s concert is poised to be one of the biggest cultural events in the city this year. However, the question of whether the event will ultimately be allowed to proceed on university grounds remains unanswered.
For now, the preparations continue, setting the stage for what promises to be a spectacular finale to Dosanjh’s tour.
