Pending DA arrears: Chandigarh teachers defer stir after administration assurance

CTA representatives met education secretary Prerna Puri and director of school education Nitish Singla said the department had accepted their demands

The Chandigarh Teachers’ Association (CTA) on Thursday postponed its proposed ‘Khali Haath, Khali Diya March’ after the Chandigarh administration assured Samagra Shiksha teachers that their pending financial dues would be addressed.

The proposed march had been planned to highlight the financial difficulties faced by teachers working under Samagra Shiksha, particularly ahead of Diwali. (HT File)

CTA representatives met education secretary Prerna Puri and director of school education Nitish Singla said the department had accepted their demands. The association thanked both officials for intervening in the matter.

According to the CTA, the administration assured that the pending dearness allowance (DA) arrears for the period from 2021 to 2023 will be credited to the bank accounts of all eligible teachers by Friday. The association further said that the file concerning the remaining 5% DA for the January and July instalments would also be processed soon.

The proposed march had been planned to highlight the financial difficulties faced by teachers working under Samagra Shiksha, particularly ahead of Diwali. CTA president Satnam Singh and other office-bearers said the absence of salary and pending dues had prevented teachers from celebrating the festival like other employees.

“With the administration assuring action on our demands, we have decided to postpone the protest,” the association said, adding that its objective was to safeguard the rights and interests of teachers.