From blueprint to buzz: PU's Sec-25 campus to get 4-storeyed student centre

Time of India

22-05-2025

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Chandigarh: After years of student demand and over two years since its initial approval by Panjab University's budget estimate committee, the long-pending Student Activity Centre for the Sector-25 campus is finally moving from plans to execution.
With the Chandigarh administration granting formal approval to the conceptual master plan for the South Campus, the university is set to begin work on the centre — envisioned as a hub for student-led activities, cultural events, and recreational engagement.
The project was first formally taken up in Feb 2022 and has since been awaited by students of Sector-25, which houses departments like UIET, UIAMS, Dental Sciences, Microbiology, and Biotechnology.
With over 5,000 students and hostels for both domestic and international students, the campus lacked a student-dedicated facility akin to the iconic Sector-14 Student Centre.
Now, a four-storeyed round structure will come up opposite Girls Hostel No. 8, echoing the original centre's circular layout but redesigned with a contemporary, student-focused vision. It will house reading room, club rooms, seminar space, multipurpose galleries, a gym, and a modest cafe.
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"This will be a dedicated space for student expression, learning, and community life," said a senior official from the PU architect office. "The structure draws inspiration from the original Student Centre but is adapted to today's campus realities. The priority here is not food stalls or retail, but activity, engagement, and student-led programming."
Vice Chancellor Prof. Renu Vig welcomed the approval, calling it a major step forward.
"The conceptual Master Plan has been developed with a student-centric focus. Sector-25 has immense potential to support emerging and interdisciplinary fields, and this expansion is a timely boost. Both campuses will now complement each other in vision and infrastructure," she said.
The new Student Activity Centre (official name) will be set within a planned residential and academic ecosystem. Unlike the heavily commercial surroundings of Sector-14, only a few convenience stores are proposed near the new centre, keeping in mind the adjacent residential zone, which includes three girls' hostels, one boys' hostel, and an international hostel.
The Master Plan outlines nine new academic blocks in addition to the twelve existing ones, a multilevel basement parking facility near the UIET Gate with space for 700 vehicles, a new Library-cum-Reading Hall, and the long-delayed multipurpose auditorium. The auditorium, which began construction in 2009, remains incomplete. A new tender issued on May 8 for road work and civil finishing has revived hopes for its eventual commissioning, though the original March 2025 target has quietly slipped.
Teachers' residences are also part of the upgrade. "Judicious land utilisation has been a top priority," the Architect Office official added. "Academic blocks are proposed up to four storeys, while residential buildings — including new staff housing — have been proposed up to seven storeys to optimise space within the campus layout."
With the approval now in place, university officials say groundwork will begin in phases, including with the most awaited — and most visible — of the projects: a centre for students that's been long overdue.
South Campus Master Plan: Key Highlights
Student Activity Centre: Four-storeyed round building with seminar hall, clubs, gym, reading room, galleries, and a small café.
Multipurpose Auditorium: 2,200-seat facility under construction since 2009; fresh tender issued May 2025.
Library-cum-Reading Hall: New academic library to support Sector-25 departments.
Multilevel Parking: Basement facility near UIET Gate, capacity of 700 vehicles.
Academic Blocks: Nine new buildings proposed, in addition to existing twelve.
Hostel Infrastructure: Four girls' hostels, two boys' hostels (one new), and an international hostel.
Staff Housing: New residential towers proposed up to seven storeys.