Amid Covid, 6 teachers ask V-C to postpone PUTA poll, others oppose call
Six teachers have written to the V-C and registrar asking for delayed elections of office bearers of the PU’s teachers’ body, scheduled for September 25 and 26
Several Panjab University (PU) faculty members have in a letter urged vice-chancellor (V-C) Raj Kumar to ensure that the Panjab University Teachers’ Association (PUTA) elections are postponed due to the steep rise in Covid-19 cases in the city.
Six teachers have written to the V-C and registrar asking for delayed elections of office bearers of the PU’s teachers’ body, scheduled for September 25 and 26.
To observe safety rules during the pandemic, the polls in which more than 600 faculty members are eligible to vote, will be staggered.
In their letter, the six lecturers urged the university administration to intervene in the matter as the elections were being held “physically”.
V-C can ‘intervene’
They said that the large number of teachers had been concerned about the matter and wanted the polls delayed. “It is expected that the University should interfere as PUTA is recognised by the authorities of Panjab University and not registered under any legal act to allow the concerned teacher any other redressal. So the whole responsibility in case of any lapse falls on Panjab University,” reads the letter.
Dr Priyatosh Sharma, one of the signatories, said, “Many teachers are of the view that they will not vote if the elections are being held amid the pandemic. Many persons have been infected on campus in the recent past and we are witnessing a rise in Covid-19 positive cases in city.”
Staggered elections
However, according to the strategy chalked out by the returning officer for the polls, voting will be carried out at two venues, the English auditorium and the evening auditorium. Different departments will be given one of the four time slots – starting from 8.30am to 11.30am and going up to 3.30pm to 5pm to prevent overcrowding.
Attempts to derail PUTA
However, many faculty members are against the postponement request, with the team led by Mritunjay Kumar and Amarjit Singh Naura, contesting the polls, alleging in a statement that a “campaign” was underway to cancel the elections and efforts made to render the body dysfunctional. “We appeal to the community to discourage all those who have sided with the authorities to derail PUTA elections 2020 and ensure that maximum voting takes place,” the team members said.
