Dental interns on warpath over non-payment of stipend

OST Bureau

Bhubaneswar, Sep 28:

The 2008-09 batch BDS interns of Hi-Tech Dental College and Gandhi Dental College here on Saturday staged a demonstration in front of the Hi-Tech Medical College and Hospital alleging that the college authorities are harassing them because they have filed a case in the Odisha High Court over the non-payment of their monthly stipend.

“We 128 students from both Hi-Tech and Gandhi Dental colleges have filed a case in the High Court seeking its intervention into the issue of non-payment of our monthly stipend. Aggrieved by our move, the college authorities are harassing us mentally at every moment,” said Arvind Nayak, a student.

“We have not been sanctioned our monthly stipend since the beginning of our internship duty from 25 February 2013. From April we have been holding discussions with the college authorities but nothing positive has come out of it as yet,” said Neha Saraswat, a protesting student.

Since the college authorities adopted a hide and seek policy and refused to pay our stipend money, we filed a case in the Orissa High court . That is what has peeved the college authorities and they have been harassing us mentally and even abusing and scolding us, said the students.

“Our repeated appeals and representations to the authorities have fallen on deaf ears”, alleged another student Tarik Aziz adding “we will hold this silent protest till Monday and if nothing  positive happens  then we will be forced to take to violent means.”

On the other hand, Hi-Tech Medical college administrative officer M Behera said since the matter is sub-judice, the college can do nothing till the disposal of the case.