Calcutta Unani College staff protest against govt inaction in taking over, salary delay
By Zaidul Haque, TwoCircles.net,
Kolkata: The staff at Calcutta Unani Medical College and Hospital face an uncertain future, but they are not sure who to blame for it.
They have been sitting on an indefinite strike since September 3 as they attempt to save Eastern India’s only Unani medical college. Their grievances are aimed largely at the lack of interest on the part of the state government to take over the college despite passing a Bill in the West Bengal Assembly in 2010 which allowed the same. Frustrated by the lack of progress in this regard, 300 people, all members of the college staff, participated in a rally on October 15, Wednesday. The protestors demanded West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee to interfere in the matter and implement the Bill passed during the time of
the Left Front.
The college was established in 1994 and run by the All India Tibbi Conference’s West Bengal unit, a non-trading corporation comprising of Unani doctors with philanthropic mission to save and spread awareness of the Unani System of medicine in West Bengal. Muhammad Ayub, Principal, Calcutta Unani Medical College & Hospital, said, “Owing to the fact that there is only one institute of its kind, the college is a godsend opportunity for the meritorious students who desire to study Unani Medicine in this state along with hundreds of patients particularly belonging to the under privileged are benefited through treatment with medicine on a normal charge.”
But the problems of the college are largely-financial, and hence, the urge by the staff to the government, asking them to take over.
It was due to lack of finance that the college, which currently offers the course Kamil-e-Tib-o-Jarahat (BUMS) and offers 40 seats, was unable to start post-graduate courses of Unani Medicine, or even recruit teachers. Ayub added that while there was a yearly grant from the government, it was not sufficient for the purpose of meeting expenditure of development works and payment of salary of teaching and non-teaching staff of the institution. This explains why currently, the staff has not been received salary for three months. Members of the staff added that they were now finding it increasingly difficult to run their homes and that their own children were facing issues in schools due to non-payment of school fees.
Dr Hena Tarique, Department of Pathology, said Unani colleges are controlled by the Central Council of Indian Medicine, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Department of AYUSH, Government of India, which sets standards for running the college and performs yearly inspection for the allowing permission of new admissions. If college fails in fulfilling the criteria, the permission is not granted.
Owing to financial constraints and in order to save the college, the college's governing body had requested the Government to take over the college and hospital, she added.
(Photo: Sanjoy Purkait For TwoCircles.net)
By Zaidul Haque, TwoCircles.net,
Kolkata: The staff at Calcutta Unani Medical College and Hospital face an uncertain future, but they are not sure who to blame for it.
They have been sitting on an indefinite strike since September 3 as they attempt to save Eastern India’s only Unani medical college. Their grievances are aimed largely at the lack of interest on the part of the state government to take over the college despite passing a Bill in the West Bengal Assembly in 2010 which allowed the same. Frustrated by the lack of progress in this regard, 300 people, all members of the college staff, participated in a rally on October 15, Wednesday. The protestors demanded West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee to interfere in the matter and implement the Bill passed during the time of
the Left Front.
But the problems of the college are largely-financial, and hence, the urge by the staff to the government, asking them to take over.
It was due to lack of finance that the college, which currently offers the course Kamil-e-Tib-o-Jarahat (BUMS) and offers 40 seats, was unable to start post-graduate courses of Unani Medicine, or even recruit teachers. Ayub added that while there was a yearly grant from the government, it was not sufficient for the purpose of meeting expenditure of development works and payment of salary of teaching and non-teaching staff of the institution. This explains why currently, the staff has not been received salary for three months. Members of the staff added that they were now finding it increasingly difficult to run their homes and that their own children were facing issues in schools due to non-payment of school fees.
Owing to financial constraints and in order to save the college, the college's governing body had requested the Government to take over the college and hospital, she added.
(Photo: Sanjoy Purkait For TwoCircles.net)
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