Hunger strike by contractual lecturers enters 158th day

A contractual lecturer getting tonsured his head as a mark of protest on Sunday. — Excelsior/Rakesh
A contractual lecturer getting tonsured his head as a mark of protest on Sunday. — Excelsior/Rakesh

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Aug 27: The ongoing hunger strike by contractual lecturers (10+2) entered into 158th day today, as there has been no response by the State Government on their demand of regularization.
The chain hunger strike was continued today by Pankaj Sharma, Balvinder, Ranjan Bala and Jeevan Kumar, who began their 24-hour fast dharna this morning.

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Shouting slogans, the protesting contractual lecturers held protest demonstration in front of Press Club of Jammu. Some protestors also got tonsured their head in a mark of protest.
These contractual lecturers are demanding their regularization as per the Civil Services Special Provision Act 2010, a Legislature passed for the regularization of all the ad-hoc/ Contractual/ Consoli-dated employees on completion of seven years of their service.
While addressing the protest demonstration, Arun Bakhshi, president of All J&K Contractual Lecturers (10+2) Association, rued that the State Government was ignoring the highly educated youth, who have given the precious years of their life to the School Education Department for running their defunct schools in far flung areas.
“If the fate of teaching community is like this, people will not encourage their wards to get higher education,” he said.
He appealed the Government to open their eyes and ears to look and concede their genuine demand of regularization as per Civil Services Special Provision Act 2010, as it has already been done in all departments (Health, Engineering, Forest, Information as well as Education) debarring only contractual lecturers from their right of regularization.