Re-employed Punjabi varsity staff to be relieved on Feb 28

Gagan K Teja

Tribune News Service

Patiala, February 20

Punjabi University has ordered to relieve all reemployed employees with effect from February 28 following resentment pertaining to the issue of re-employment of the teaching and non-teaching staff.

However, the university will continue to provide them library, laboratory and adequate sitting place to ensure that they complete all their pending projects and guide their research scholars.

Despite repeated assurances by the university authorities that they would relieve all reemployed teachers from this session, the university employees were adamant on discontinuing their services claiming that their re-employment had not only put additional financial burden on the university, but it was due to them that the Punjab government had halted grant worth Rs 13 crore since they had put in a condition that the university would not re-employ teachers.

Now, the Dean, Academic Affairs, Punjabi University, Dr Gurnam Singh, directed that after all re-employed teachers were relieved, all department heads and department research board chairmen should ensure that the work of all research scholars doing MPhil and PhD should continue smoothly. Besides, the teachers who are working on research projects funded by various agencies will also continue to avail necessary facilities till their completion.

While the university employees have expressed delight over the decision, sources claimed that the re-employed employees have decided to approach the court against the university’s decision.

Registrar Dr Devinder Singh said, “We have already apprised all parties concerned about the decision and the employees have assured us that they will stop all agitations against the university.”

Decision to hit 82 employees 

There are 82 re-employed staffers, including 65 teachers. Their monthly liability after deducting pension comes out to be roughly Rs 58 lakh. Dr Jaswinder Singh, project coordinator in Centre for Diaspora Studies, Dr Gurmeet Singh Mann, Director of Educational Multimedia Research Centre, Dr HS Bhatti, Director of Institute of Social Impact Assessment Agency , Dr Dhanwant Kaur, Editor, Encyclopedia of Sufism, Prof Nashir Naqui, Editorial Board member of the Encyclopedia of Sufism, Dr Jagtar Singh, incharge of the main library, and Dr Harbhajan Singh, in charge of Dr Balbir Singh Centre, Dehradun, are the prominent among the reemployed teachers.