IIT profs to teach, but with empty stomach

Having tried all other modes of protests to draw the attention of authorities towards their grievances over their revised pay package, the IIT faculty all over the country has decided to go on a token hunger strike on September 24. They will hold classes and teach as usual, but they do it with an empty stomach to highlight their woes. 

Even this mode of protests did not gel with the IIT directors who dismissed it as an ‘ego issue’.  The decision to go on fast was taken by the IIT faculty as the revised scales announced on September 16 by the HRD Ministry failed to stand up to their expectation. 

However, the All India IIT Faculty Federation (AIIITFF) sought to clarify that their protest is not motivated by money as is being made out to be. They have not taken the decision to protest by going hungry with sole motive to earn some extra buck. But their intention is to highlight through the protest the fact that pay commission recommendations breach the autonomy of IITs. 

In a statement issued here today said: 

"We have a flexible cadre system that cannot accept regulations on the number of people hired at any level. Specifications such as 10% of the total faculty has to be hired at the level of `assistant professors on contract', only 40% of professors with six years of experience at that level can advance to the next academic grade pay (AGP), etc. go against this spirit and cannot be accepted." 

IIT directors, however, declined to buy this theory. They say that despite the fact that professors in IIT enjoy all the freedom, they approached HRD minister Kapil Sibal without taking the directors into confidence. 

Claiming that there is their selection policy is transparent, AIITFF refused to accept HRD ministry’s interference in the matter.