Suhail Khan
Srinagar July 24: Jammu and Kashmir College Contractual Lecturers Association (JKCCLA) has sought the intervention of Chief Justice J&K High Court Justice Gita Mital for releasing their salaries.
The JKCCLA has written a letter to the Chief Justice, a copy of which with news agency (KINS), which says, “We the academic arrangement candidates of different colleges of Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory would like to draw your kind attention towards the fact that we have been working for the smooth functioning of the System from last two decades. We have always worked at par with the permanent faculty of the department. In making the future of the students academic arrangement lecturers/Teaching Assistants of higher education department have always contributed to their best. We have carried out all our assignments with complete dedication, enthusiasm, honesty and zest. We have devoted the prime of our youth to the department and have always regarded our services as worship. Despite that the department has never paid any attention to address our genuine demands/grievances.”
They claimed that the department is hell-bent to ruin the future of highly qualified lot as most of the candidates working in the system have crossed the upper age limit or are at the verge of becoming highly qualified overage unemployed youth of the developed democracy.
“Every second day the department is using all the means to mentally harass and humiliate the candidates. Witnessing this humiliation and sensing the job insecurity about 1200 Hundred candidates working on academic arrangements moved to the High Court/CAT Bench Jammu of Jammu and Kashmir to secure their job and to their fortune honorable high court Srinagar Wing and CAT bench Jammu after analyzing the petitions issued Status Quo in their favour. The department was going well with the Status Quo of the candidates and was maintaining their position without disturbing them and released their salaries till July 2019 and in some cases till august 2019,” it reads.
The letter says that the High Court from time to time issued directions to the department to release the salaries of the candidates and to the surprise the department never obeyed those orders which highlight the highhandedness of authorities.
“The High Court also asked the department about an affidavit to confirm the stand of the department towards the court cases. In their response the Director Colleges along with all the Principals of the Degree Colleges acknowledged the Court Case and submitted the affidavit mentioning that they have not disturbed the position of the petitioners and are maintaining their Status Quo. But in reality they have made the contempt of the Honorable court and have not released our salaries from August 2019,” it says.
“It is very unfortunate that on one hand the Government of India is issuing advisories on daily basis that every employee whether permanent or contractual will be paid his due salary but on the other side we have been only paid the salary of one month (in some colleges Two months) out of twelve months. Besides this some of the candidates working on the court orders have not been released the salaries mentioned that they are the surplus staff, where as honorable high court on 10-03-2020 in its order against a petition filed by the Status Quo candidates clearly mentioned that all the status quo candidates should be considered on duty and no new guideline shall be implemented on them till the final disposal of the case. Most of these candidates are with the department from the last 8 to10 years. In this time of grief we fear our families will die of starvation if not by this virus as we have nothing to feed them. During these tough times we don’t have access to the High Court.”
“In these disturbing times, we request your candid self please look into the matter seriously and take serious note of it and press to release our salaries at earliest. Hope this representation will get due consideration and timely redress from your authentic office this time,” it reads.
