The 47th foundation day function of Himachal Pradesh University was held here on Friday with Governor Acharya Devvrat being the Chief Guest and Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh presiding over the function.
The Governor in his keynote address said that it was essential to channelize the youth energy towards constructive purposes which, if not properly channelised could prove to be destructive and harmful for the society. He said that youth should be brought into mainstream and motivated to participate in nation building activities.
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh stressed on discipline in the campus and added that the teachers should not try to impose their personal ideology on the students when it comes to teaching profession. They should, keep their idealistic nature and speculations aside and believe in teaching the right values and discipline to the students.
He said that around 150 bighas of land had been identified near Ghannahatti for setting up another campus of University there. The Chief Minister directed the university authorities to get the land transferred in its name as soon as possible. He also said that the issue for constructing residences for women employees would be sympathetically considered.
"It has been often observed that whenever after vacations the University opens for admissions, there were few political students outfits who erect their tents, misguiding students and their only purpose is to create mischief and disturb the academic atmosphere during the entire session," he said on the politics in the university.
He said such people neither study themselves nor let others do their job, adding that enough was enough, as time has come to expel such miscreants from the University.
In a hard hitting speech, the chief minister said that difference in ideology of political student outfits doesn’t mean that one should try their wits in academic institutions and impose their directives on the freshers. He urged the University to strictly act against such anti-social elements as per the law. He said that they have become professional agitators and only take admission in University to disturb and agitate. "University for such mischief makers was an easy gate way to enter politics, but they were mistaken," he added.
The Chief Minister also challenged such forces to come out to fight open political battle during the assembly elections where they will come to know their actual stand. “Staging ‘Dharnas’ and vitiating the academic atmosphere, raising slogans, manhandling their teachers won’t ever be tolerated and the guilty would be dealt with a heavy hand”, he said.
Earlier, Vice-Chancellor, HPU, A.D.N. Vajpayee welcomed and honoured the Governor, the Chief Minister and other distinguished guests present on the occasion.