Speaker assures to take up Contractual Lecturers’ demand with Govt

Speaker Kavinder Gupta offering juice to female Contractual Lecturer who was on fast unto death.
Speaker Kavinder Gupta offering juice to female Contractual Lecturer who was on fast unto death.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 6: As the ongoing hunger strike by Contractual Lecturers (10+2) entered into 52nd day today. Speaker Legislative Assembly Kavinder Gupta visited the venue of hunger strike and assured the agitators that he would take up their demand with the Government.
Kavinder Gupta visited the spot around 1.30 pm and interacted with the agitating 10+2 Contractual Lecturers. He said that the demands of the Contractual Lecturers were genuine and that could be meted out at the earliest. The Speaker said that he was giving this assurance after consulting the DyCM and MoS Education.
Following assurance of the Speaker, the female Contractual Lecturer, Seema Rajput, who was observing fast unto death for the last 26 days, ended her hunger strike.
These Contractual Lecturers are demanding their regularization as per the Civil Services Special Provision Act 2010, a policy framed for the regularization of all the Ad-hoc/ Contractual/Consolidated employees after rendering seven years of services.
Meanwhile,  Arun Bakshi,  State president of the Contractual Lecturers (10+2) Association,  expressed confidence over the assurance given by Speaker Kavinder Gupta but said that they would  continue their chain hunger strike till their case for regularization is  finally settled.
Last evening, a delegation of the Contractual Lecturer had called on MoS Education Priya Sethi, who assured them that the Government was trying to resolve their issue. She told the delegation that matter had already been taken up with the Minister for Education Altaf Bukhari for positive consideration.
Meanwhile, Tripta Sharma, Ranjan Bala, Pankaj Sharma and Zubair Hussain Shah began their chain hunger strike today.