The Municipal Medical Teachers Association (MMTA) has threatened to go on agitation from April 1 and file a written petition in Bombay High Court against the BMC if the civic body does not revoke its circular on the extension of retirement age from 62 to 64 years.
The BMC’s decision will decide the fate of hundreds of associate and assistant professors who have been deprived of promotions as professors and associate professors for more than a decade.
“We are being threatened by our superiors over joining the protest and also threatened with adverse remarks in confidential service records, which will ruin our future prospects,” a senior MMTA doctor said.
MMTA secretary says the decision directly affects future of teaching faculties
Dr. Ravindra Deokar, secretary, MMTA, said the body opposes the decisions, which directly affects the future of teaching faculties, who have been at the forefront during the Covid-19 pandemic. But now the benefits are given to those who are at their retirement age and want to serve for two more years by obstructing promotions of other associate professors.
“We had a meeting with BMC chief Iqbal Singh Chahal and have asked them to rethink the decision. If we are left with no option, we will soon file a writ petition in the Bombay High Court,” the doctor said.
MMTA alleges deans of civic run colleges wrote letters to increase the age to 64 years
The MMTA has alleged that the deans of civic-run medical colleges wrote a self-recommendation letter to increase the age from 62 to 64 years on February 27, 2023, and got it approved by Chahal, who used his discretionary powers, the very next day.
However, Dr Mohan Joshi, dean of LTMG hospital, has denied these claims. Meanwhile, Additional Municipal Commissioner Dr Sanjeev Kumar said “We will sit with MMTA members and discuss their issues. We will see to it that hospital services are not hampered and people are not inconvenienced.”
MMTA’s demands
-Immediate cancellation of circular on retirement age extension
-Relinquishment of all administrative posts at the age of 58
-Immediate implementation of revised time-bound promotions scheme in the BMC
-Immediate recruitment to all vacant professor, associate and assistant professor posts
