The Hindu : Talks held to end strike at medical college

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 22, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Talks held to end strike at medical college

By Our Special Correspondent

GULBARGA, MARCH 21. There is hope of an amicable settlement between the Hyderabad Karnataka Education Society (HKES) and the doctors and teachers of the Mahadevappa Rampure Medical College who are strike demanding that the HKES release arrears of dearness allowance from 2000 and restoration of payment of gratuity to retiring employees.

The HKES vice-president, Shashil G. Namoshi, the secretary, Sharad Rampure, and a few other members of the managing council of the society held discussions with the representatives of the doctors and the teachers whose boycott of work in the Basaveshwar Teaching and General Hospital and the medical college entered the fifth day today.

However, the HKES president, B.G. Jawali, who held informal discussions with some members of the managing council and Mr. Namsohi on the demands made by the teachers and doctors, did not participate in the discussions with the officers-bearers of the teachers' association.

Meanwhile, with the help of the police, the authorities forcibly shifted to hospital for treatment the former President of the HKES Employees' Association, N.D. Patil, who was on a hunger strike for the past four days. On Saturday, Mr. Patil rejected doctors' reject to shift him to hospital. Mr. Patil was protesting against the alleged anti-employee stand of Dr. Jawali and his autocratic style of functioning. They had conducted a medical examination of Mr. Patil and said that he was a diabetic and his blood pressure had gone up. Tests also suggested that his kidneys were not functioning normally.

Mr. Namoshi accompanied by Mr. Rampure called on Mr. Patil and appealed to him to withdraw the hunger strike but in vain. After Mr. Patil was removed to hospital, R.K. Hudgi, a professor, announced that he was starting an indefinite hunger strike.

The former secretary and founder member of the HKES, Madiwalappa Manthale, charged successive presidents and council members of the society in recent years with causing financial difficulty for it. Mr. Manthale, who supported Dr. Jawali when he first decided to contest for the post of HKES president, said that he regretted "committing the mistake of supporting him."

Mr. Manthale told The Hindu that the teachers and other employees who were on strike should also own responsibility for the difficult financial condition of the HKES and appealed to the teachers to withdraw the strike and give at least one year to the management to fulfil their demands.

There seems to be no development with regard to the notice given by six members of the managing council demanding an emergency meeting of the council to discuss the strike which has affected the functioning of the Basaveshwar Teaching and General Hospital. Under normal circumstances, a council meeting should have been convened within 24 hours after receipt of the notice from members.

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