PCCTU protests outside minister Gurkirat Singh Kotli’s residence

Lovleen Bains

Doraha, November 16

Members of the Doraha and Khanna units of the PCCTU today sat on a dharna for two hours in front of the residence of Cabinet Minister Gurkirat Singh Kotli at Khanna to press upon the government for the implementation of the UGC 7th CPC Pay Scales for universities and colleges of Punjab and recalling the state government’s decision of delinking pay scales of new assistant professors of government colleges from the UGC 7th CPC Pay Scales.

Dr KK Sharma, coordinator and executive member of the PCCTU, along with unit presidents of Khanna and Doraha, including Dr Sanjeev Kumar from AS College, Khanna, Dr Sushma Singla from AS College for Women, Khanna, Dr Amandeep Kullar from Guru Nanak National College, Doraha, Dr Jagdeep Singh from Malwa College, Bondli, Samrala, and members of the union together raised slogans against the state government, especially the state Higher Education Minister and the Finance Minister.

The decision of the state government to delink the pay scales of new assistant professors of government colleges from the UGC 7th CPC pay scales seems to be a decision which is baseball. This retrograde step will result in cutting the state off from the mainstream of the National Higher Education System. Delinking the pay scales will adversely affect the system of higher education in Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh as they follow the service conditions, regulations and pay scales of Punjab. Already, Punjab along with Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh are the only states left in the country which are yet to implement the UGC 7th CPC pay scales.

Dr KK Sharma, the coordinator and executive member of the PCCTU said they had been forced to start agitation again due to the failure of the state government to keep its promise of implementation of UGC pay scales along with pay scales of the 6th Punjab Pay Commission.

He said Punjab was the only state which is yet to implement UGC pay scales notified in November 2017 and UGC regulations notified in 2018. Since 2017, the state government had been showing its commitment to implement the pay scales along with the 6th Punjab Pay Commission scales. Now, the Punjab pay scales had been implemented but those, as per the UGC, are nowhere in sight.”

President of Ludhiana district of PCCTU Prof Kuldeep Batta said it was a sorry state of affairs. The teaching community, which should be given its due rights in an appropriate and timely manner, was every time forced to protest.

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