Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, June 13: As the ongoing standoff between protesting Class-IV employees and the Jammu University administration continues, an epidemic threat looms large over the campus.
While heaps of garbage are seen scattered at every nook and corner emitting foul smell from the entire campus, the University authorities seem gripped in ‘if and but syndrome’ with no idea for coming out of the prevailing chaos.
Each and every department as well as the Vice-Chancellor’s Secretariat is presenting a hellish look of the otherwise ISO certified university. Heaps of garbage have piled up in the Controller Examination and Dean Academic Affairs block owing to maximum activities there.
Pertinent to mention that Jammu University Class IV employees and Casual Labourers are on strike for the last over one month while Safai Karamcharis have also joined them.
The protesting employees are demanding regularization of casual labourers and other such workers, who have completed more than seven years in service to the University.
Even as JU has conceded maximum demands of the protesting employees, the latter have refused to suspend the ongoing strike till the issuance of regularization order for which the University is awaiting State Financial Advisor’s approval.
While the suspension of work by Class-IV employees and casual labourers has severely affected normal functioning of the University, joining of the ongoing strike by the Safai Karamcharis has plunged the entire campus into unhygienic state, which is turning from bad to worse with the passage of each day.
“If no alternative arrangements are made immediately for cleanliness of the campus, there is every possibility of an epidemic threatening the health of everyone here,” feared a top JU officer while pointing towards the loads of garbage lying here and there.
Besides epidemic, there is also threat of some mischief or accidental fire in the Controller Examination Wing where thousands of answer sheets and other such important records are kept.
Even as the University authorities tried to take services of some outside agencies for cleanliness of a few departments, particularly the Controller Examination wing, the protesting employees foiled any such attempt.
As the class work is off due to ongoing summer vacations and the Safai Karamcharis are performing work in the Hostels to avoid inconvenience to the student boarders, JU officers are the main sufferers of prevailing situation.
Meanwhile, the fresh round of talks between the JU Negotiation Committee and the Non-Gazetted Employees Union this evening remained inconclusive once again while the ongoing chain hunger strike by the agitating employees entered into third consecutive day.
Five employees, comprising Surinder Singh, Ram Singh, Dilip Singh, Ashwani and Joshi began their 24-hour fast replacing the previous batch.
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