CHANDIGARH: Protesting College and University teachers on from all over Punjab took to streets at Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal’s constituency Bathinda today in support of their demands regarding implementation of the 7th Central Pay Commission and revocation of the Punjab Government’s decision to delink the teachers’ payscales from the UGC regulations. More than one thousand teachers working in different colleges and universities of Punjab & Chandigarh assembled at Shyam Dhaba and Mittal Mall outside Manpreet Badal’s office in response to the call given by PFUCTO and PCCTU. The aggrieved teachers took out a protest march from the Hanuman Chowk to Bathinda DC office via Fauji Chowk and Mini Secretariat. Teacher unions from all private aided colleges of Chandigarh joined the protest.
Today’s state level protest at Bathinda assumes importance in the wake of Punjab Government’s Cabinet Meeting, possibly the last one before the model code of conduct kicks in for the scheduled Assembly elections in the State. The teachers have been requesting CM Channi and the entire Council of Ministers since last several months to include their demands as agenda in the Cabinet Meetings, but the government has failed completely to respond positively so far. The teachers alleged that the government was buying time till the model code of conduct was enforced so that it could be used as an excuse for not acting on this issue. Raising slogans against the State government at the protest march, the teachers said that it was highly shameful of FM Manpreet Badal to have forced the nation-building teachers revered as Gurus to come out marching on the streets to fight for their rights, which have been denied to them since January 2016, the date since when 7th CPC has been implemented in all the parts of India except Punjab. The teachers have been bitterly criticizing Punjab Government’s move to delink their payscales from UGC, which experts believe will lead in future to cessation of central funds given for salaries, infrastructure and research in colleges and universities. They alleged that this move was the first step towards complete privatization of higher education in the state and will render higher studies out of reach for the poor and the underprivileged sections of the society.
The chain hunger strike under the aegis of PFUCTO and PCCTU at DAV College Chandigarh entered its 35th day today with Dr. Sutapa Saryal, Dr. Sushma Saini and Dr. Neeti Gupta (all from DAV College, Chd) sitting for the hunger strike from 9 am to 5 pm, and Dr. Ashish Kapoor, Dr. Karan Singh Vinayak & Dr. Rajan Bhandari (all from DAV College, Chd) continuing the strike from 5 pm today to 9 am tomorrow.