The Hindu : Kerala / Thrissur News : Protest at KAU executive committee meeting

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 01, 2005

Kerala

Kerala - Thrissur

Protest at KAU executive committee meeting

By Our Staff Reporter

THRISSUR, MARCH 31. A meeting of the executive committee of the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) held at the university guest house near here today witnessed protests by various organisations.

A group of Youth Congress activists sneaked into the meeting venue to protest against the reported proposal to enhance the retirement age of the non-teaching employees at the university from 55 to 60.

They broke the police cordon around the guest house and shouted slogans, disrupting the meeting.

Talks held

The Vice-Chancellor, K.V. Peter, who was presiding over the meeting, and other executive committee members then held discussions with them.

They withdrew from the venue after the university authorities assured them that the meeting was not considering the proposal to enhance the retirement age of its employees.

Teachers' protest

Meanwhile, a section of the teachers and non-teaching staff of the university were also holding demonstrations in front of the guest house to protest against the non-disbursement of salaries in the university.

While the teachers have been denied salaries during the last two months, the non-teaching staff apprehend that they too will not be able to get salaries from this month onwards if the Government is not releasing the grant to the university as the UGC pay-scale issue is still remaining unresolved.

The police blocked both the teachers and non-teaching staff at the guest house gate.

Tension prevailed when they tried to force their way into the guest house.

The police then physically prevented them from entering the venue.

Subsequently representatives of the teachers and non-teaching staff were let in to have discussions with the executive committee members.

The Vice-Chancellor later said the university authorities had already held discussions with the Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy, to resolve the disputes between the university and the Government on the sanctioning of UGC pay-scales to the teachers.

The Chief Minister had assured the university that he would take all possible steps to resolve the issue.

The university had sought two months' time from the Government to clear up the various anomalies that had crept in during the sanctioning of the UGC scales to the teachers.

However, the university would not be able to pay salaries to the teachers unless the Government sanctioned the funds in the interim, he said.

The teachers' representatives said that they were planning to resume their agitation.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Kerala

News Update

Stories in this Section

Protest at KAU executive committee meeting

Rs.70 lakhs for science museum

Rs. 3.54 crores for temples

`School of Drama popularised serious theatre'

Life term for five in murder case

TTI student falls to death from train

BJP activist hacked