BATHINDA: Even as Punjab Agriculture University (PAU), a premier institute in agriculture research, continues to be without a regular vice chancellor for over a year, which is seriously impacting university's working, now a score of students and those passed out are on protest asking the state government to fill a large number of vacancies in the state agriculture department.
The students under the banner of Punjab Agriculture University Students Association (PAUSA ) are out on the roads indulging into all sorts of action to show the apathy of the state government.
The protesters want the state government to fill vacancies at the earliest, in the absence of which the agriculture, the main avocation or economic activity, in Punjab is getting impacted. Now when the cotton crop was damaged in two consecutive years, last year due to pink bollworm attack and this year due to white fly infestation, the shortage of agriculture officers at various levels have been felt. It is being said that due to big shortage of agri staff in the field, the problem is not being looked into at the nascent stage and when the department gets to business in the field, it is too late.
The presence of field staff could detect the issues at the early stages and report it to authorities to indulge into corrective measures thus saving the crop from getting damaged, opine the students and protesters.
The protesters, who are into 8 days in protest, are now getting support from farmer organisations. It is also being said that the farmers fail to get required inputs to save crops or for proper growth of various cash crops as no experts are around and such advice is limited at kisan fairs for large numbers of farmers and only few tutors.
The protesters have come out with the figures of vacancies in the department and say due to shortage of staff, the proper check is not being maintained on the quality of seeds of various crops and spurious pesticides, insecticides being sold in the markets. It has raised a questions marks over quality of seeds and pesticides.
Even the regular staff of the agriculture department had recently held protest at Mohali near department head office demanding promotions and various other issues apart from filling the vacant posts.
PAU had played a key role in increasing food production in Punjab and ushering an era of green revolution in 1960-70s. It has made contributions in increasing milk production. The previous vice chancellor Baldev Singh Dhillon had relinquished charge on June 30, 2021.
