Mysuru: A protest being staged by the non-teaching staff of Karnataka State Dr. Gangubai Music and Performing Arts University, demanding the fulfillment of various demands is nearing 100 days.
The non-teaching staff of the university have been staging relay hunger strike for three consecutive months told that they had not been paid their salaries for the last 10 months, and even denied entry into the university premises for the last two months.
The members of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha, Dalit Sangharsha Samithi and other progressive organisations took part in the relay hunger strike. The non-teaching staff, who had been appointed after securing approval from the University Syndicate by the earlier Vice Chancellor 10 years ago, had not been paid salaries for the last 10 months.
The protesters said that the Government has not solved any of the problems despite the protest being held for nearly a hundred days. The university officials and representatives have also not looked into their grievances.
The protesters expressed anger as the Chief Minister, Ministers and other officials visited Mysuru and did not listen to any of their issues and they demanded the Government to look into matters and come up with solutions that would help them.
When the issue was raised by MLC K. T. Srikante Gowda in the session of the State Legislative Council on the issue, university shared a copy of the Government order that the government had in August 2012 approved 19 posts for the university established in 2009. But, the university had appointed 21 persons on temporary basis in addition to the sanctioned posts without following the regulations.
It has also been pointed out in the reply that the Government’s permission was mandatory to create or fill up posts in any of the State-run universities. The Government had taken serious note of the proposals submitted to the Finance Department for release of salaries to temporary employees appointed over and above the sanctioned posts, and had issued a circular to remove them from service.
