CHANDIGARH, MARCH 14, 2004:
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Coming as a veritable Messiah for the cash-strapped Panjab University on the lookout for funds to start its dental institute, a Canada-based dentist, Harvansh Singh Judge, has offered to donate Rs 2 crore for the institute’s construction.

A PU alumnus and a dental surgeon from Toronto , Canada , Judge told the Times News Network on Saturday that he thought this was ‘‘the best way to contribute to furtherance of dental studies.’’

In fact, in the syndicate meeting on Saturday it was decided to rename the institute as ‘‘Dr Harvansh Singh Judge institute of dental sciences’’ against its earlier proposed name of ‘‘University institute of dental sciences.’’ The setting up of the institute has already been approved by the university syndicate in its meeting in May last year. It was decided to set aside 5 acres of land in Sector 25 for construction of the building. The institute has been envisaged as a 100-bed hospital.

Judge, who is on a visit to the city, passed out from the medical college in Amritsar in 1966 (which was then under the jurisdiction of PU) and later migrated to Canada where he has been practising for last 34 years. ‘‘I got to know through a bank in Canada that the PU was looking for funding for its institute in dental sciences. I then got in touch with the PU registrar and later met vice-chancellor KN Pathak to present my proposal,’’ Dr Judge said.

In fact, on learning from TNN about the acceptance of his proposal by the PU syndicate he only said, ‘‘I feel satisfied that they have accepted my proposal.’’

 

He has also decided to donate his property, estimated to be around Rs eight crore, to the Institute fund after his death. His immediate family includes his sister who is settled in India and his brother who has also migrated to Canada .