Rohtak: Members of the non-teaching employees' union at Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU) on Wednesday launched a protest against Vice-Chancellor Prof Milap Singh Poonia, alleging prolonged delay in promotions and administrative apathy. The employees staged a sit-in protest outside the VC office and warned that the agitation would intensify if their demands were not fulfilled by the evening.
Union President Raises Concerns
Union President Suresh Kaushik stated that the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) process has been stalled for nearly one and a half months. Around 15 promotions are pending, but the related file has allegedly been moving repeatedly between the Vice-Chancellor's office and the registrar's office without any resolution. Kaushik highlighted that the matter was brought to the notice of the university administration through written representations and two memorandums, but no action has been taken so far.
Allegations of Uncooperative Attitude
Kaushik alleged that the employees met the Vice-Chancellor a day earlier, but his response was not satisfactory. According to him, even during the submission of the memorandum on Tuesday, the administration's attitude remained uncooperative. The union announced a pen-down strike on Wednesday and warned that a full-fledged dharna would begin from Thursday if the promotions were not cleared by evening.
Objection to OSD Appointment
The employees also objected to the appointment of a professor as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the Vice-Chancellor. Kaushik pointed out that the university already has a secretary to the VC, Om Prakash Yadav, who is handling the responsibilities and whose post is considered senior to that of OSD. He claimed that since 1976, the post of OSD to the VC was traditionally held by a member of the non-teaching staff, and replacing a non-teaching official with a professor has triggered resentment among employees.
High Court Order Ignored
The union further alleged that the VC turned employees against himself by failing to implement a high court order related to a Grade Pay case of Rs 3,500-3,600, despite employees already winning the matter in court. The union warned that if the promotions are not processed by evening, a gate meeting would be held on Thursday morning to decide the next course of action.
