CHANDIGARH, Aug 13 — Panjab University (PU) on Tuesday inaugurated a new girls hostel at its Sector 25 South Campus and announced a ₹81 lakh research grant for a green technology project.
Vice-Chancellor Renu Vig unveiled the plaque for Devi Ahilyabai Hall, also known as Girls Hostel Number 11, and joined a community hawan ceremony. The hostel, whose construction was delayed in 2020 due to the pandemic, will initially open only its first two floors, accommodating 60 female students from the 2025–26 session.
Vig said the hostel was named after Devi Ahilyabai Holkar, describing her as “a symbol of women’s leadership and empowerment.” She credited Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) 2.0 for supporting the project.
PU officials said the Punjab government had sanctioned about ₹50 crore for completing the hostel and building a new boys hostel, but the funds have not been fully disbursed due to delays in approval of the boys hostel’s final drawings. Some students questioned the naming choice, arguing that prominent Punjabi women could have been honoured instead.
With ten existing girls hostels accommodating around 3,500 students, PU faces chronic shortages and long waiting lists, as most students come from outside Chandigarh and hostel rooms cost far less than private rentals.
Separately, PU announced that it has received ₹81 lakh from the Department of Science and Technology to develop commercially scalable, plant-based composite panels as sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based products.
The project, led by Dr. Anupama Sharma, chairperson of the Dr SSB University Institute of Chemical Engineering and Technology, in collaboration with Sivalik Agro Products Pvt. Ltd. headed by GD Tyagi, will use agricultural residues such as rice straw, rice husk, and common reed (Phragmites) to produce high-performance, biodegradable panels.
“This is a proud achievement that reinforces PU’s leadership in green technology and its alignment with national and global sustainability goals,” Vig said.
