Date:04/07/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/07/04/stories/2009070450680200.htm

Karnataka - Gulbarga

Talks between teachers and management fail

Special Correspondent

Teachers seeking withdrawal of transfer order
Settlement of DA arrears till date sought

GULBARGA: The talks between the president of the Hyderabad Karnataka Education Society and MLC Shashil G. Namoshi and the striking teaching and non-teaching staff of the Poojya Doddappa Appa College of Engineering in Gulbarga city to end the seven-day non-cooperation movement and relay hunger strike by the staff of the college have failed.

According to the general secretary of the Teachers Association of the Hyderabad Karnataka Education Society, Narendra B. Mustare, the talks held between Mr. Namoshi and the office-bearers of the association ended as a failure as Mr. Namoshi was not ready to concede any of the demands made by the association.

Mr. Mustare said that the society president was not prepared to hear the major demands of the association, including the one seeking annulment of transfer orders issued to the head of the Department of Computer Science, Rekha Patil, and Assistant Professor of the Information Science Department, Bharathi Harsur, based on alleged harassment complaints made by parents of students. The two teachers were transferred to SLN College of Engineering in Raichur.

The contention of the striking staff was that the two teaching staff were punished without conducting any inquiry as required.

The teachers, who were issued show cause notices to answer the charge of alleged harassment of students, were transferred to the Raichur college even before they could reply to the notices.

During the talks, Mr. Namoshi said that the transferred teachers should first join duties in the Raichur college and then plead their case for getting a transfer back to the Poojya Doddappa Appa College of Engineering.

However, this was rejected by the representatives of the teachers association.

The other demands of the striking staff included updating of dearness allowance on par with that of the aided staff, settlement of dearness allowance arrears till date, payment of arrears of AICTE pay-scales, sanction of earned leave encashment, payment of house rent allowance and time-bound promotions.