Pune: Protesting against the cancellation of time-bound promotions of 12 years and 24 years of the non-teaching staff at non-agriculture universities and affiliated colleges, the non-teaching staff of colleges in the State, have called for an indefinite hunger strike and affected  regular functioning of the colleges on Tuesday.

Offices of different city-based government aided colleges remained closed as a mark of protest. Even libraries and laboratories at many colleges were kept shut. Over 45,000 non-teaching staff members from across the state, including 10,000 members from Pune participated in the strike. 

The protest has come at a time when students of Savitribai Phule Pune University and affiliated colleges are appearing for year-end examinations. “Due to ban on assured promotions of non-teaching staff, our economic condition is getting affected. This will also hit our income. Therefore, we want the government to lift the ban, otherwise, we will continue with the indefinite hunger strike,” said Shashikant Kamte, President of Pune University affiliated College’s Non-Teaching Staff Association of the Pune district.

“We are suffering because of the wrong policies undertaken by the State government. The government has not taken notice of it,” added Deepak Yadav, Honorary member of Maharashtra State College’s Non-Teaching Staff Association.