The district administration has sought a change in the venue of the proposed SARAS Mela after Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) vice-chancellor raised concerns over holding the event on the campus amid mid-semester examinations and the university’s annual youth festival.
The move follows objections from PAU students and teachers associations to hosting large public events on the university campus. They have raised concerns that events involving large gatherings of people from outside the university could disrupt academic activities and interfere with the institution’s routine functioning. The administration stated that conducting the SARAS Mela simultaneously with these university activities could lead to heavy footfall, congestion and disruption on the campus. Students have also welcomed the university administration’s intervention.
The letter states that the university’s mid-semester examinations are scheduled in October, while its annual youth festival is to be held from October 30 to November 6.
PAU student Simranjeet Singh said large external events caused inconvenience to students and expressed relief that the university had taken up the matter with the district administration.
