The ongoing hunger strike by Guru Nanak Dev University Teachers' Association (GNDUTA) entered the eighth day on Thursday even as the state government failed to respond to their demand for release of arrears on account of revised pay scales.
Association president Dr Davinder Singh and secretary Dr Lakhwinder Singh Kang, both of whom sat on the hunger strike, expressed deep anguish that the government was making tall claims of improving the standards of higher education in the state, even though ground reality was completely different.
It had adopted an "indifferent and callous attitude" towards the legitimate and genuine demands of teachers of a premier institution of the state, they stated.
The two association members claimed that government's lack of concern towards the GNDU and its teachers could be gauged from the fact that payment of arrears would entail only Rs 5 crore, since 80% of ad hoc expenditure of Rs 25 crore would be reimbursed by the central government.
"If the government is not ready to spend this paltry sum from its treasury, it can at least direct the vice chancellor to release this amount from the university accounts and get it reimbursed later on," a statement released by GNDUTA said.
Pointing a finger at vice chancellor AS Brar, GNDUTA said that there seemed to be an "unholy alliance" between him and some state government officials not in favour of teachers getting their arrears.
{{/usCountry}}Pointing a finger at vice chancellor AS Brar, GNDUTA said that there seemed to be an "unholy alliance" between him and some state government officials not in favour of teachers getting their arrears.
{{/usCountry}}The VC had time and again boasted of his close association with the chief minister and often used threatening language to convey to the faculty that he would do as he wished and that he did not care for their demands, the statement claimed.
The striking teachers warned that if the arrears were not paid by Friday, they would intensify the agitation next week.