Patiala: No salary for 2 months, Punjabi University teachers miffed

Mohit Khanna

Patiala, December 4

Around 700 members of the Punjabi University Teachers’ Association (PUTA) have announced the boycott of semester exams, which are scheduled for December 8, if their salaries are not released.

Threaten to boycott exams

The teachers are yet to receive salaries for October and November. As winter break is approaching, we are staring at financial crisis. Therefore, we have decided to boycott semester exams. Dr Maninder Singh, Vice President, PUTA

Though the authorities at Punjabi University, Patiala, released salaries of non-teaching staff, those of teaching staff hasn’t been released.

Dr Maninder Singh, vice president, PUTA, said, “The teachers are yet to receive salaries for October and November. As winter break is approaching, we are staring at financial crisis. It’s challenging to carry out educational responsibilities. Therefore, we have decided to boycott semester exams until our salaries are released.”

A senior professor said, “The university is grappling with Rs 150 crore in liabilities, which incur substantial annual interest. Its annual salary bill amounts to Rs 342 crore.”

Daljit Ami, Director, Educational Multimedia Research Centre, said, “Punjabi University requires around Rs 39 crore every month to meet its obligations. Due to the ongoing strike by the Punjab State Ministerial Services’ Union, the funds were not released from the government treasury. As soon as we receive funds, salaries of teaching faculty will be disbursed.”