Long distance affair? Port Blair college wants PU affiliation!

Chandigarh: Panjab University with its headquarters in Chandigarh ­ the foothills of the Shivaliks ­ believes it can sustain a long distance relationship. It is for this reason that it is looking forward to giving affiliation to a college more than 2,600km away in Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Multi-Disciplinary College, Port Blair, has sought temporary affiliation from the university for three courses ­ undergraduate courses in architecture planning and fine arts and a post-graduate course in management for the 2016-17 session.
“Before the Pondicherry University came up, some of the colleges had affiliation with Panjab University. So, I think they want to reconnect with us,“ said Panjab University vice-chancellor Prof Arun Kumar Grover.There is of course one common thread ­ both Chandigarh and the islands nestled between the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea are Union Territories.
“Besides the old association, we thought that what we wanted for our three courses was available with Panjab University,“ said Raajiv Yaduvanshi, principal secretary, education, Andaman and Nicobar administration. The college authorities have deposited the Rs 2.10-lakh affiliation fee and a team from PU visited the college on May 13 to make inspections. The case was discussed in the PU syndicate meeting on May 15. After discussions ,it was decided that if the Centre allows affiliation, the university will go for it. “Panjab University is located in one of the well-provided Union Territories of India. A given UT can help meet the aspirations of another UT. If the Centre permits , we have no hesitation in providing affiliation,“ he said. The college has already approached All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the Council of Architecture for the necessary approvals and hopes to start the courses from this year.
According to the Panjab University calen dar, the request for the grant of affiliation along with the fee for the 2016-17 session should have reached the University before October 1, 2015. But the office received the application on April 28, 2016. “The Andaman and Nicobar administration has approached MHRD and ministry of home affairs to get affiliation from the Panjab University and if the government allows, then only we can proceed,“ said Prof A K Bhandari, dean university instructions at the university , who along with others visited the Port Blair college.