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PU’s South campus to get its own Student Centre, library: Chandigarh admn approves plan
Work, that is a part of the second phase of development on the South Campus, will start after tendering and is likely to begin with the opening of the PU multipurpose auditorium.
Panjab University’s South Campus will now get its own Student Centre and library-cum-reading hall with the UT administration granting conceptual approval to additions in the master plan of the university’s Sector-25 campus. Work, that is a part of the second phase of development on the South Campus, will start after tendering and is likely to begin with the opening of the PU multipurpose auditorium.
The approval for the additions to the master plan follows a review by the town planning wing of the UT administration. It received clearance from the technical sub-committee of the Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee in May 2024, followed by approval from the main committee in August 2024. Based on these recommendations, formal approval was granted.
As part of the plan, nine new academic blocks have been proposed, in addition to the twelve that currently house sixteen departments in Sector 25. A dedicated library-cum-reading hall has been proposed to supplement the main Sector-14 campus library. Currently, the South Campus doesn’t have any major library for the students and student parties have been demanding this for years.
South Campus too will have its own Students Centre which will be called ‘Students Activity Centre’.
Giving more information in this regard, PU vice-chancellor Renu Vig said, “What will make this version different is that it will be surrounded by an area for sports and recreational activities. Currently the South Campus only has provisions for indoor sports. We plan to add 2.75 acres land for sports field.” The Students Activity Centre will be located on the ground beside the government school on the South Campus. It will also feature a round structure similar to the one in North Campus. As per the budget estimates, the new Student Centre will come up at a cost of ₹10 crore.
Vig added that construction work can begin soon and tendering for this will be started immediately.
Multipurpose auditorium likely to host next year’s convocation
The PU multipurpose auditorium is also a part of the redevelopment plan. While it was set to open in 2025, due to issues with tendering this has been delayed. However, V-C Vig said that the inception of the redevelopment programme will start with the multipurpose auditorium.
While the V-C had given the target to hold this year’s convocation here, the target has now been shifted to next year. With a seating capacity of over 2,400, it will have a main auditorium with three small seminar halls able to accommodate 130 to 600 people. The total covered area will be 1.4 lakh sq ft and the auditorium will include a dining area, parking area, approach roads, substation, power backup, AC plant, elevators, firefighting system and CCTV cameras. It will have a VIP workshop, green rooms and rehearsal rooms as well. The construction of the auditorium was inaugurated by the then prime minister Manmohan Singh in 2009. Till now, over ₹80 crore has already been spent on the project
Multilevel basement parking to fix traffic woes in PU
Most of PU’s traffic troubles stem from the fact that there is no parking near the PU gates to park vehicles. Now, a multilevel basement parking facility with a capacity of 700 vehicles is proposed near the UIET Gate.
Residential facilities will be significantly expanded. The master plan includes four girls’ hostels, two boys’ hostels—including one new facility—and an international hostel to accommodate overseas students. Of these, three girls’ hostels, one boys’ hostel, and the international hostel are already functional. These facilities will be located within a clearly demarcated residential zone on the northwest side of the campus. A four-storeyed technology block near the dental hospital is also in the pipeline.
