Dr Suraj Narayan and Prof Kulbir Singh added that despite clear provisions, the Chandigarh Administration took more than a decade to settle promotions under the UGC Regulations, 2010.Teachers of aided colleges in Chandigarh on Monday began a week-long symbolic protest against the delay in career advancement scheme (CAS) promotions and alleged violations of service conditions. Wearing black badges, they marked the beginning of their agitation, organised by the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers’ Union (PCCTU), District Council Chandigarh.Bhupinder Singh, finance secretary of PCCTU’s state unit and secretary of the local unit at SGGS College, Sector 26, said, “despite repeated memorandums and several meetings with officials, issues like CAS promotion delays and service rule violations remain unresolved”.Another teacher pointed out that their service conditions are governed by UGC regulations and Panjab University (PU) statutes. PU had already adopted the UGC Regulations, on July 18, 2018, while the UT administration also implemented the revised pay notification, thereby automatically adopting these regulations in Chandigarh, the teacher added.Dr Suraj Narayan and Prof Kulbir Singh added that despite clear provisions, the Chandigarh Administration took more than a decade to settle promotions under the UGC Regulations, 2010. Even today, promotions under the 2018 regulations remain pending. They further questioned, if appointments of principals can be made under the 2018 regulations, then why can’t subsequent promotions be carried out as well? This delay is not only unjust but also extremely demoralising for the entire teaching community, the teachers said.Highlighting further violations, PCCTU Secretary Gaganpreet Kaur added, “In aided colleges, probation periods are fixed contrary to UGC rules due to lack of administrative approval. Teachers on probation are paid only the basic salary without allowances. Moreover, Dearness Allowance (DA) at par with government college teachers has not been given. Even DA due since January 1 has not been released”. She added that the union has so far kept the protest symbolic to avoid disrupting students’ studies, but warned, “if our demands are ignored, this agitation will intensify”.Dr Pardeep Kumar of GGDSD College, vice-president of PCCTU’s District Council, said that the association has raised these genuine concerns multiple times, but the administration’s “indifference has deprived teachers of their rightful dues” He added that after prolonged deliberations, the union has decided to escalate the issue to higher levels to secure time-bound promotions and fair service conditions for aided college teachers.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd