Disparity Reduction Allowance date issue: Police baton-charge, teargas PU protesting employees

LAHORE:Police on Monday baton charged Punjab University (PU) employees and used teargas to disperse their rally. Hundreds of PU employees took out a protest rally at the university’s New Campus over the issue of date of issuance of Disparity Reduction Allowance (DRA). However, when the protesting employees reached the canal bridge, the police used batons and teargas to disperse them. Some employees of the university were injured in the police action while teargas caused problems for the people in the university and adjacent localities. The protest and police action caused severe traffic mess on main Canal Road and many adjacent roads for quite some time. Later, the PU employees went inside the campus and protested outside the VC office. It is pertinent to mention here that PU Academic Staff Association (PUASA) has also expressed concerns over the date of issuance of the DRA. It is learnt that in the last senate meeting a representative of the HED Punjab had dissented the grant of DRA to PU employees including teachers from June 2021 and insisted that DRA would be granted from the date of approval of the chancellor. This caused concern among the PU teachers and employees.

However, a Punjab University spokesman said that PU Senate in its meeting held on Feb 25, 2021 has approved 25 percent special allowance from June 1, 2021. He said while chairing the meeting of the Senate, PU VC Prof Niaz Ahmad had briefed the Senate meeting that he has recently requested Punjab Governor and Minister for Higher Education to give the allowance from June 01, 2021. He said the employees protested without getting any clarification from the admin.