Polytechnic employees continue protest for fifth consecutive day

Academic arrangement staff raising slogans during protest at Jammu on Friday. -Excelsior/Rakesh
Academic arrangement staff raising slogans during protest at Jammu on Friday. -Excelsior/Rakesh

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 9: The protest demonstration by academic arrangements under the banner of All J&K Polytechnic Academic Arrangements Association (AJKPAA) continued for fifth consecutive day, here today.
The protest was led by Ankush Gupta, Vice President, AJKPAA, Jammu, who while talking to media persons said that it is now fifth consecutive day of their protest today, but nobody from the department had tried to contact them.
He said that the class work stands suspended for the past five days, but the department seems to be non serious, adding that academic staff is being paid only Rs 6500 for demonstrations and Rs 7000 for lecturers.
He added that it is very merger amount for those who are the engineer builders of the State and they have to work at far flung districts like Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban on this merger salary.
He said that many of their senior staff had given 20-25 years to the department and is now over aged to fill any form now.
Vicky Sharma, General Secretary said that instead of framing policy for academic arrangements, the department is shunting out the academic arrangements by means of transfers and fresh appointments, where as they all are continuing on court directions and department is doing contempt to the court directions by disengage them.
“We had requested the Principal to give the termination order of the faculty in written but she is refusing to do so”, he said, adding that they had repeatedly approached the officials of Technical Education Department and Minister of Technical Education also but nothing serious was done for them and only hollow assurances were made to them.
The protesters demanded that department should allow the terminated staff to rejoin the department again as per their continuation order from High Court of J&K. He further said that their demand of including them into JK Civil Services Act or to frame regularization policy for them should be addressed otherwise they will have to come on the roads to get their demands redressed.
They said that in coming days if the department failed to fulfill their demands then they will protest more aggressively and will gherao the Ministers in Kashmir.
Among others present were Kanav Gupta, Sanjeev Choudhary, Rakesh Bhat, Atul Kodhi, Gagan Partap, Harmeet Kour, Renu Kotwal, Itika Sharma, Pooja Gupta, Renuka Rajput, Noshiba, Ruchi Gupta, Shivali Sharma, Narrotam Sharma, Tarun Gupta, Neena Gupta, Himani Dubey, Sunil Bhatti, Archana Razdan, Bhawana, Vidhu Puri and Dupinder.