PU campus reopens: Departments see bleak response on Day 1

PU campus reopens for final-year PG students of physics, chemistry departments, pharma, dental colleges

A few departments of Panjab University (PU) that reopened on Monday witnessed a bleak response from students with only a few showing up on the first day.

Students attending a class on the Panjab University campus in Chandigarh on Monday. (RAVI KUMAR/HT)

In the first phase, the campus reopened for final-year postgraduate students of physics and chemistry departments and the University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS) and dental college.

At UIPS, as many as 27 final-year students of MPharm attended offline classes on the first day while more than 20 students of MSc (third semester) attended their theory and project work in the department of chemistry. The physics department, however, conducted online classes on Monday as well.

Chairperson of the chemistry department, Dr KN Singh, said that around 25-30 students will start attending labs by the end of the week: “The students are applying for hostel accommodation,” the university said.

Moreover offline classes for third year BDS (regular batch) also began at PU’s dental college. Examination for the first year BDS students was also conducted on Monday in an physical mode. Dr Hemant Batra, Principal of dental college said that all the students reported/appeared. “Dental College is already functional as per the guidelines of dental council of India (DCI).

More students to join

It is expected that more students will join the departments in the coming days. “More students are in the process of arranging for their travel and accommodation and are expected to join by next week,” the university said in an official communique.

Chairperson of the department of physics Dr Rajeev Puri said, “Many students approached for hostel accommodation and opening of laboratories, however, only online classes continued on Monday.”