The decision to demerge these two departments was taken at the meeting of the Academic Council, held here today. The Council has decided to send back the Department of Business Management to its parent college, College of Basic Sciences and Humanities.

The Department of Biotechnology has been converted into a School of Biotechnology that will run courses for bachelors, masters and doctorate programmes. Another major decision taken at the meeting was to elevate the Center for Communications at PAU to the Center for Communication and International Programs.

It was during the regime of Dr Kirpal Singh Aulakh that PAU had merged various departments under it schemes of cost cutting. The demerger had caused much heartburn on the campus. The most vociferous protests came to fore after Dr Aulakh announced the merger of Department of Foods and Nutrition (College of Home Science), Department Food Technology (College of Agricultural Engineering) with that of Department of Food Sciences ( College of Agriculture).

This merger had led to the resignation of Dr M K Dhillon, Dean College of Home Science, and almost a year-long protest by PAU students.

However, after taking over as VC in May 2007, Dr Kang formed a committee headed by Dean Postgraduate studies Dr S K Mann, who was entrusted with considering cases of demerger of all the departments. The issue of business management, which had been sent to College of Agriculture by Dr Aulakh, was still awaiting a decision.

Sources say that the College of Agriculture did not want to give up the Business Management Department, for it earns the maximum revenue through fee. “Each admission year, we generate nearly Rs 60 lakh. Everyone knows ICAR is pumping huge amounts of money in agriculture marketing for research purposes. Who wants to give up a healthy baby,” said a faculty member of the department.

What has come under a lot of flak is the elevation of Department of Communications. Sources said this is being viewed on the campus as “mere elevation of one person and not the department. This department has just four people and none of them have anything to do with communications, “ said a senior scientist of the university who did not want to be identified.