Chandigarh: Volte-face of the Punjab government on granting central status to Panjab University (PU) has irked academicians and social activists in the state.

"This move of the Punjab government has given a huge setback to our almost two-year-old movement that we started Oct 10, 2006," Manjit Singh, former secretary of Panjab University teachers' association (PUTA), told sources on Tuesday

"I could not understand what is the reason behind this sudden move... this is very shocking for the whole University."

The Punjab government on Monday withdrew its approval for Panjab University to get central university status, six days after the order was passed.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, withdrawing the earlier clearance. A similar communication was also sent to Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Arjun Singh.

"I do not think that the fear of criticism in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections has provoked the Punjab government to take this harsh step. It is because of some self-centric people who think that central status to PU will dilute the age-old decorum of Punjab," Manjit Singh pointed out.

"In the last six months, we have met leaders of both ruling and opposition parties of Punjab and the representatives of all the national and local political parties.

"We apprised them of the real situation that central status would not harm the dignity of Punjab's language and culture," stated Singh.

Singh added that PU has one of the biggest departments of Punjabi in the country and two months back it held a world Punjabi congress at the campus. Therefore, the question of trivializing the language and Punjabi culture is not valid.

The university is the alma mater of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and it is here that he started his career and went on to become a full professor at the young age of 32 years.

"It is very embarrassing on the part of Punjab government that they have taken a u-turn on this issue. PU inherits rich Punjabi culture and is famous for producing eminent Punjabi academicians, writers, theater persons," said A.D. Ahluwalia, chairperson of department of Geology of the university.

It was very sad that academicians turned politicians are demeaning their own past and politicizing the issue of granting the central status to PU, stated Ahluwalia.

"Central status to PU will benefit more than 170 colleges, their faculty and students. The university is not getting adequate grants neither from the Punjab government nor from the central government that results in the hike of fees, poor infrastructure and amenities," said Gaurav Gaur, a lecture in the social works department of PU.

"PU is reeling under heavy financial crunch, as this year PU's budget is Rs.960 million. Out of this, the Punjab government has to give 40 percent that amounts to around Rs. 380 million. However, they have sanctioned only Rs. 160 million and still we are not sure whether they will finally give this amount or not," said Gaur.

Even in 2007, the Punjab government had sanctioned only Rs. 143 million. The central government is also not releasing the promised amount for the PU, said Gaur. IANS