About Mehr Chand Polytechnic College 

“Best Polytechnic Award” Presented by NITTTR(National Institute of Technical Teachers Traning And Research) Chandigarh on the occasion of Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the Institute on September 07,2017 to Mehr Chand Polytechnic College Jalandhar(Punjab) for having been adjudged as one of the outstanding polytechnics in the Northern Region for the Year 2016-2017.

No country in the fast moving world of today can survive the impact of competitive conditions without developing her own industry and becoming self sufficient by tapping her own resources for the benefit of her people . This fact was clearly visualized by Maharishi Dayand ji as far back as the later part of the last century. The seed was helm of affairs, tried with their meager means to give a start so as to translate the ideas of the Great Rishi into reality. Dayanand Technical Institute was started at Lahore in 1939. it aimed at training technicians who would fill up a void in the Indian Industry, namely, educated expert workers. The labor in the different trades available at the time used to consist workmen drawn from the poor families who had undergone a long period of apprenticeship with some who had the capacity to exploit them. They were usually not dependable. The institute aimed at changing face of the old established industrial traditions by creating a different type of personnel for the developing industry, and it worked. The boys trained by the institution were really different. Some of them are at present running industries of their own on modern lines and are contributing their bit towards the reconstruction of the country.

At Jalandhar , Pt. Mehr Chand an embodiment of self-sacrifice , honesty and untiring efforts followed in the footsteps of Maharishi Dayanand . He was convinced that the education was incomplete without technical education. Having started a high school and then a college, he diverted his energies towards uplifting of technical education. He had a plan of starting a polytechnic with diploma courses in engineering. He actually laid the foundation of a technical institution to be run on the same lines as the Govt. School of Engineering, Rasul on 12th March 1944, but he was not destined to see it grow. He died soon after. No steps were taken in this direction till after the partition when Dayanand Industrial School was started in an evacuated tannery near Bhargava Camp under ministry of labour and employment with Shri Hand Raj Kundra as the first Principal. The Vocational trades organized were footwear , leader goods , carpentry , sports goods and sports leather. That was the time when the Indian Govt. attached great importance to this type of training with the two-fold objective of encouraging indigenous production and providing employment to the displaced persons.

In 1950 Shri Chanchal Dass, a tried and trusted worker of the D.A.V. College, Managing Committee, who was working as Principal of Dayanand Polytechnic Institute at Amritsar, was deputed to take over from Shri Hans Raj Kundra. It was on account of this wise taken by the D.A.V. College Managing Committee that everything we see of the development on the technical side of education at Jalandhar today has come to existence. In 1952, the institution was shifted to the work centre on the G.T. Road near the level crossing opposite to Burlton Park. Later , this building belonging to the Indistries Department , Punjab, was purchased by the D.A.V. College, Chanchal Dass. In 1954, initiative was taken in the direction of starting 2 year?s Overseer and Draftman Courses in Civil Engineering That was the time when a great deal of confusion existed in the field of Diploma education. There was no set standard and no Govt. Department undertook to recognize these courses. A few institutions that were started by private managing bodies had drawn up their own syllabi . They did not know whom to approach for recognition and what would be the fate of the students after training when they had enrolled themselves for these courses. Eventually, the Govt. entrusted this work to the Industries Department and the Institute, named as Mehr Chand Technical Institute was recognized with an intake of 40 each for Overseer and Draftsmanship courses. In pursuance of the ideals set by the late Pt. mehr chand and in commemoration to his memory, the D.A.V college managing committee decided to construct a building to house the technical institute.The design of the building was prepared by shri T.R.Mahendru, a well known architect of new Delhi.This is the first building you see on your left when you enter the main gate of Mehr Chand Campus which cost the D.A.V college managing committee about Rs. 2 lakhs and the a real beginning was made

In December, 1955, the all India council of Tech. Education sent a visiting committee consisting of shri S.C Sen, principal Delhi polytechnic, Shri P.C. Dutt, prof. of Elect. Engg.. B.H.U, Shri S.R. Singh, Prof. of Civil Engg., Roorkee university and Shri D.V Narsimbam, Secretary to the Government, This committee studied in detail the possibility of the development of the institution and recommended a grant-in-aid of Rs. 11 Lakhs for building, equipment and Library and Rs. 3,75,000 as loan for construction of a hostel for 150 students.Sanction for continuing the diploma classes was accorded under the condition that the then exiswting courses be converted into 3 years National Certificates Courses based on the syllabus drawn by All India Council for Tech. Education with annual intake of 50. The intake for the 2 years?s Draftman Civil Courses was first fixed at 30. Grant was sanctioned by the Government and the Institutiuon was re-named as Mehr Chand Polytechnic aftewr late. Lala Mehr Chand, a life member and ex-president of D.A.V college, managing committee who had a distinguished career, of service to the cause of education.

During National Emergency, when a large number of Engineers were needed, the annual intake in all diploma raised to 60 each. The total intake rose to 240 in 1964 from 80 in 1954.In a decade, it was trebled. The total number of students in the polytechnic rose from 210 in 1957 to 660 in 1965,The discipline of ECE was added in the year 1982 with intake of 30 and D-Pharmacy was started in the year 1987 with initial intake of 40.In 2003-2004,no. of seats in diplomas in mechanical engg and electrical engg were increased from 40 to 60 besides, starting new diploma course in computer engg with intake of 60. Again the intake was increased in other discipline of civil engg, ECE and D-Pharmacy and the present intake is 60 in all branches. The total strength of the Institute in the year 2002 was increased to 1020.In 2010 Principal Jagroop Singh under the guidance of office bearers of D.A.V. college Managing Committee submitted the proposal for starting a new diploma in automobile engg in the morning shift and five discipline of civil,electrical,mechanical and computer engg in the evening shift with intake of 60 in each discipline with a view to achieve financial stability. The Proposal was subsequently approved by AICTE and Punjab State Board ot Technical Education and Industrial Training Chandigarh.So Presently the Institute is working in two shifts and playing the role of nation building with the motto of creating competent and quality engineers with qualities of head and heart.

Information compiled from: Mehr Chand Polytechnic College Website