The Punjab Government’s tall claims of promoting higher education in the state notwithstanding, students of the Government Rajindra College here are forced to take their lessons under sweltering hot sun in the summers and in biting cold during the winters.

While the Punjab Government has set up a state university – the Central University of Punjab (CUP) – and allowed the setting up of a private university – the Guru Kashi University — it has miserably failed to provide the basic infrastructure to this decades-old premier government institute of the Malwa region.

The college is in a dire need of at least 20 rooms to accommodate its growing brigade of students. Presently, there are around 3,300 students in various graduate and undergraduate courses that are being run here.

In October 2009, the Punjab Government had constituted committees to assess and present immediate budgetary needs of these colleges with a view to upgrade their infrastructure. While the Bathinda Deputy Commissioner was the chairman, the college principal was the member secretary of the committee.

“The committee had put up a demand for at least 20 more rooms to provide adequate classrooms to students. A budget of around Rs 1 crore was projected to be enough to step up the infrastructure here,” said senior teachers at the college.

The college sprawls over 28 acres, a large part of which is being utilised to set up a stadium now. An year ago, Rs 30 lakh was earmarked to build a library in the college. 

However, the finances fell short and the PWD department ended up just erecting a framework in the given amount. Rest of the project hangs fire for want of funds.

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