DAV College staff members up in arms

Jaswant Shetra

Jagraon, December 15

Staff members of Lajpat Rai DAV College, Jagraon, staged a protest against the state government today.

The protest was organised on the call given by the Joint Action Committee formed by the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers’ Union and the Non-Teaching College Employees Union in support of various long-pending demands of the staff members of the government-aided colleges.

Led by college principal Dr Karan Sharma, all staff members of the college, including lecturers, non-teaching staff members and Class IV employees, staged the protest in front of the main entrance of the college to press the state government for releasing the grants meant for government-aided colleges. The protesting staff members raised slogans against the state government.

During the protest, the staff members of the college kept the college shut for the whole day to show their resentment against the government.

Moreover, the university examination and house tests scheduled for today were also postponed due to the protest.

As the joint committee had announced today’s protest in advance, Panjab University, Chandigarh, was forced to postpone the first semester examination and the house paper, which were scheduled to be held today.

While addressing the staff members during the occasion, Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers’ Union Jagraon unit president Prof Karam Singh Sandhu said the state government had not released the grants meant for the aided college for the past one and half years.

“Due to the failure of the state government in releasing the grant for the aided colleges for such a long time, the staff members of these colleges are not getting paid their salaries and they are facing a tough time,” said Sandhu.

Criticizing the state government for its decision to reduce house rent allowance and medical allowance for the staff members of the aided colleges, the protestors insisted the government to roll back these decisions.

The protesting staff members also demanded implementation of pension scheme for the staff of aided colleges.

They threatened to sharpen their struggle further in case the government failed to release the grant for the aided colleges and fulfil various other long-pending demands of the staff members of aided colleges.

Senior lecturers Prof Tarsem Sagar, Kunal Mehta, Rekha Watts, Veena Jain, Usha Sharma, Shailja Goel, Renu Singla and the members of the non-teaching staff were present during the protest.