University, college teachers court arrest

Chandigarh, November 30

On a call given by the Punjab Federation of University and College Teachers Organisations (PFUCTO) nearly 2,000 teachers of universities and colleges of Punjab and Chandigarh staged a rally here today. The protesters marched towards the residence of the Punjab Chief Minister. However, they were stopped by the police after which they courted arrest.

The federation is demanding immediate implementation of revised UGC pay scales and withdrawal of the decision of the Punjab Government to delink the scales of teachers of universities and colleges from the UGC.

Earlier, Dr Jagwant Singh, general secretary, PFUCTO, said the government was bent upon destroying the higher education system in Punjab by delinking it from the National Higher Education system and was taking decisions that were in direct contravention with the central laws on the subject of higher education which is on the concurrent list.

Dr Lakhwinder S Kang, president of GNDUTA, Dr BS Tohra, president of GCTA, Dr Mritunjay Kumar, president of PUTA, Dr Vinay Sofat, president of PCCTU, and others took part in the rally. TNS