ETT teachers protest outside Harpal Cheemas residence in Chandigarh over recruitment irregularities
The teachers have been protesting against alleged large-scale irregularities and high handedness of department clerks during recruitment process of 180 ETT teachers.
PTC News Desk: At least 180 Elementary Teacher Training (ETT) teachers on Saturday staged a dharna outside the residence of Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Cheema in Chandigarh.
The teachers have been protesting against alleged large-scale irregularities and high handedness of department clerks during recruitment process of 180 ETT teachers.
The protestors have accused the Punjab government of making excuses regarding the ETT recruitment matter.
"We are demanding the suspension of the Education Department clerk who orchestrated such a massive scam to accommodate his own people. We are fighting for our rights. The Education Minister and the Finance Minister claim they lack the authority to suspend the clerk and promise to arrange a meeting with the CM, yet nothing has happened to date. They are merely making excuses... We have been seeking justice for 10 years..." said a protester.
Another protester said that they were recruited in 2016 but were later dismissed due to alleged irregularities in the recruitment process. However, they were reinstated after a court order.
The protester alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party government protected a departmental clerk who was responsible for the error. Referring to an IAS report, the protester claimed that the report found that the problem was caused by the clerk's mistake and that the 180 ETT teachers were not at fault.
Despite holding several meetings over the past week, the protesters said they had not received justice. They came to Chandigarh to demand action but alleged that the protesting teachers were instead subjected to police action and violence.
Later, Punjab Police intervened and removed the protesters from the area near the finance minister's residence.