Guest lecturers launch relay fast today

Tribune News Service

Rewari, February 19

Having failed to attract the government’s attention towards their demands despite carrying out an indefinite strike for a week, extension (guest) lecturers at government colleges have now decided to launch a relay fast tomorrow to mount pressure for accepting their demand for a fixed salary.

The decision was taken by the executive committee of the All-Haryana Extension Lecturers Association (AHELA) which met in Rohtak today . The association decided to stage a dharna at Jantar Mantar in Delhi if the government failed to take a concrete decision on their demands within three days.

Though the state government recently raised the extension lecturers’ remuneration cap from Rs 18,000 to Rs 25,000 per month, the lecturers say it is merely eyewash as they are getting around Rs 15,000 per month at the rate of Rs 250 per lecture. Hiking their remuneration cap will not benefit them until the rate per lecture is revised. Around 2,500 extension lecturers were currently working as resource persons, they add.

“Five extension lecturers will daily sit on a relay fast at every district headquarter in the state from tomorrow for next three days to get our long-pending demands conceded,” said Ishwar Singh, chief of the AHELA, adding that they would be compelled to hold demonstration in Delhi on Thursday if their demands remained unfulfilled.

Ishwar Singh said the government instead of accepting their demands had now started dispensing with the services of extension lecturers by shifting or sending regular lecturers to replace them. Several extension lecturers had been removed by the government in this manner, he claimed.