Teachers, employees flay govt for backtracking on promises

Amritsar, August 23

Punjab Employees and Pensioners’ Joint Front district convener Ajay Sanotra led a protest rally in front of the District Administrative Complex after which the protesters burnt an effigy of the Punjab Government at Cantonment Chowk here on Friday.

The apathetic attitude of the Punjab Government towards the pending demands of contractual employees, honorarium workers and outsourced employees was the reason behind holding the protest. Sanotra said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has once again refused to hold a meeting with the joint front and cancelled the meeting on August 22 to further delay the issues that need to be immediately resolved.

“Teacher transfers, implementation of the promised wage hike and regularisation of the services of several contractual employees, including ASHA and mid-day meal workers, have been pending for the last three years despite the promises made by the AAP-led state government. Now, we have been again told to meet the Cabinet Sub-Committee made up of ministers on September 12. It appears that the government is deliberately ignoring their pending issues,” he said.

Government employees also raised the issue of the revival of the old pension scheme. They said they will hold protests and rallies during the Vidhan Sabha session on September 4 and a march will be held towards the Vidhan Sabha after the Chandigarh-Mohali rally on September 3.

Transfer of teachers still pending

The teachers who had applied online for transfers may have to wait a bit longer for their being re-shifted to their hometowns or preferred stations as the e-portal where the transfer application are filled are non-functional. The teachers have expressed concern over the state government’s laxity and delay in processing transfers this year.

First, transfers were delayed due to the general elections and now, due to the technical fault in the online portal. “Though the Education Department had claimed that the portal was open to apply in July, no response has been received or applications been processed so far,” said a teacher on condition of anonymity. Hailing from Ludhiana, he has been serving in a school in Majitha.