Shimla: Teaching, non-teaching employees, and pensioners of Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) staged a protest outside the Vice Chancellor’s office on Thursday, expressing their anger over the non-release of salaries and pensions for October. The protesters warned that if payments are not made by Friday, the agitation would intensify from November 10.
The demonstration, held under the banner of the Pay Struggle Committee, saw participation from more than 50 retired employees along with teaching and non-teaching staff. Committee General Secretary Naresh Kumar Sharma and President Suresh Verma said that university employees were being forced to struggle for their salaries every month, which had caused immense frustration and financial stress.
They demanded that the state government find a permanent solution to the recurring salary crisis and ensure the timely release of grants to the university. The leaders cautioned that if salaries and pensions were not disbursed by Friday, the protest would be intensified from November 10. Pensioners’ Association President Bishan Singh Chandel also expressed deep anguish over the repeated delays.
Meanwhile, the Himachal Pradesh University Teachers’ Welfare Association (HPUTA) held a separate protest, condemning the delayed payment of salaries. HPUTA President Dr. Nitin Vyas and General Secretary Ankush said that teachers were facing severe financial hardships due to the delay and appealed to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to intervene immediately.
The teachers’ association announced that faculty members would boycott classes starting at 10:30 a.m. on Friday in protest. HPUTA also declared that teachers will hold a “March to Raj Bhavan” on November 10 to press for their demands. The move is likely to disrupt academic activities at the university if the issue remains unresolved.
