Hungerstrike on at IIT,so are classes

Atul K Mittal,the Secretary of IIT Delhi Faculty Forum,said the first resentment was against the cap for the promotion of professors. Also,they wanted the abolition of contractual postings at the entry stage. The All India IIT Faculty Federation wants the “Flexible Cadre Structure”,through which faculty recruitment was made earlier.

At the pandal,from time to time,the circle of teachers would erupt over new directives.

Some said it was autocratic while others felt it was a conspiracy to get foreign universities to enter the Indian market.

“If the standards of IITs come down,universities from abroad will find many more takers,” said a professor.

Another important topic of discussion was the payscale that has been changed recently. While earlier,the IIT faculty would have a grade pay higher that those of other universities,now they have been made the same. This has not gone down well.

“It was always a matter of pride knowing that in some way,our hard work was being recognised. But by lowering the payscale,the government is trying to play a joke on us,” said a faculty member.

The fasting teachers,however,have not skipped classes.

One of the teachers,S M R Rehman,said teachers gathered at the pandal only when they have no classes. “I myself took classes from 9.30 am to 11 am and only then I came,” he said.