MDU-Rohtak staff begin indefinite strike even as Haryana Governor okays release of Rs 37 crore

Sunit Dhawan

Rohtak, July 4

Governor Bandaru Dattatraya, who is also the Chancellor of Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak, has sanctioned Rs 37 crore for the university.

Classes disrupted

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• Terming the amount an “eyewash”, Vikas Siwach, president of the MDU Teachers’ Association, said the decision was unacceptable as it was not a permanent solution.
• University teachers stayed away from classes and non-teaching employees from official work, though the admission process was not disrupted.

However, faculty members and non-teaching employees started an indefinite strike and staged a protest on the university campus here on Thursday.

As per a communique issued by the Department of Higher Education on Wednesday, the first installment of the annual university budget (Rs 148 crore) in the form of a loan amount (Rs 37 crore) was sanctioned.

A news report titled ‘State govt yet to release grant to Rohtak varsity, staff salaries delayed’ was published in these columns on Wednesday.

The news report had pointed out that the salaries of the faculty members and non-teaching employees of MDU were getting delayed due to the paucity of funds.

Now, an amount of Rs 37 crore has been sanctioned.

Terming the amount an “eyewash”, Vikas Siwach, president of the MDU Teachers’ Association, said as it was not a permanent solution, the decision was unacceptable.

Siwach, who also heads the Haryana Federation of University and College Teachers Organisations (HFUCTO), said the protest would continue until the state government agreed to give 100 per cent grant to ensure that the salaries and pensions were paid to the teachers and non-teaching employees of state universities, and pensioners, respectively.

Members of the MDU Non-Teaching Employees’ Association also participated in the protest on Thursday. University teachers stayed away from classes and the non-teaching employees from official work, though the admission process was not disrupted.