PU decides to clear pending promotions; stir called off

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 17

The Panjab University Teachers’ Association (PUTA) today cancelled its protest against the PU authorities after the Vice-Chancellor accepted the association’s demands.

The university will now get rolling with the process of promoting 49 teachers (48 according to PUTA) under the career advancement scheme (CAS). A statement from the university authorities reads: “Till now, 109 cases of faculty members under the scheme have already been cleared and interviews / screenings process for 49 posts will be conducted in March 2020.”

The university claimed that it was committed to filling up the vacant positions of faculty members under direct recruitment for which interviews were earlier scheduled on January 24 onwards, but had to be postponed due to some procedural problem.

Spokesperson for the PU Renuka Salwan said: “The Vice-Chancellor is confident of an early rescheduling of the interviews, along with that for many other vacant posts in the university. Applications have already been invited for the non-teaching posts of the Chief of University Security and Dean College Development Council. The last date for submitting applications is February 28 by 4 pm.”

However, PUTA said it had been persuading the Vice-Chancellor for the past few months to hold selection committee meetings for CAS promotions. “However, it was communicated to PUTA at 10 am today that the schedule of the selection committee meetings for all pending cases had been prepared and the same was handed over to the PUTA president at 10.30 am. Thereafter, an emergent meeting of PUTA Executive was convened at 11.15 am and it was decided that the protest will be called off,” said Rajesh Gill, PUTA president.

“Selection panel meetings have been scheduled in all pending cases of promotion on March 2, March 3, March 16 and April 1,” she added.