Mandi Bahauddin: (By Sher Gonda) People of Mandi Bahauddin and surrounding districts have demanded of Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar to make Punjab University of Technology Rasul functional. Former Chairman Municipal Committee Mandi Bahauddin Malak Salauddin while talking to media persons here the other day said that a long outstanding demand of people of the area for upgrading the College of Engineering and Technology Rasul to University level has not been met so far. He said in April 2014 former Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif upgraded the college to the University of Engineering and Technology. Students were admitted and some teaching staff was also posted. After some time classed were discontinued and students were migrated to other colleges.

In 2015 Punjab government decided to make the Rasul College of Technology as the first-ever technology university in Punjab instead of the earlier proposal of making the college the university of engineering and technology. But on the ground, nothing happened.

Later on taking notice of people’s demand for upgrading the college, Punjab CM Sardar Usman Buzdar announced that the Punjab University of Technology would be established in the Rasul area of Mandi Bahauddin with an amount of Rs 2 billion. This announcement was made in July 2019. Applications were invited from qualified teaching staff including Vice-Chancellor by 23-1-20 the latest.

Unfortunately, this all this exercise was carried out on papers and no following up action was taken on the ground to give practical shape to the government decision. Malak Salauddin who was accompanied by a renowned social worker and member Executive Board of Jinnah Public School and College Mandi Bahauddin urged CM Punjab to execute his decision and make the institution functional. He also urged local parliamentarians to pursue the issue of promoting technical education in the area for the youth.