Writers meet Sonia, seek due place for Punjabi in Delhi

New Delhi, May 31 (UNI) Punjabi writers and representatives of language teachers today met UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and complained to her that Punjabi had not got the recognition it deserved in the Capital despite the Delhi government having accorded it the status of second language two years ago.

A delegation of Punjabi Sahitya Sammelan, a cultural and literary organisation, led by its president Dr Manjit Singh, told Ms Gandhi that around 2,000 part-time teachers of Punjabi language recruited more than decade ago, had not been regularised so far.

''The post of Punjabi Officer in Delhi Administration has been lying vacant for the past 12 years and no step has been taken to promote Punjabi language in state schools. The posts of Punjabi teachers that fell vacant have not been filled and the education authorities have been dissuading the teaching of the language and recruitment of teachers in schools on one pretext or the other,'' said Sammelan general secretary Mohan Singh Berry.

They drew Ms Gandhi's attention to 47 posts of Punjabi teachers lying vacant in the Delhi government's Department of Education.

They also said that the wage structure of these teachers was lower than the wage of peons in the schools.

The delegation told the UPA chairperson that according second language status to Punjabi had turned out to be ''pure politicking on the part of those in power'' as the language's presence had virtually ceased in the Capital over the years, barring some inscriptions on road sign-boards.

The delegation submitted a memorandum to Ms Gandhi demanding that arrangements be made to recruit Punjabi teachers in MCD and other government schools with a special relaxation on age bars by amending the rules if need be; increase the Punjabi slot on Doordarshan and radio and creation of Punjabi posts in various cultural and literary organisations of the Delhi government.

They also demanded that the post of Punjabi officers, which is lying vacant in the Punjabi cell, language department, be filled without delay.

The memorandum also pointed towards an alleged conspiracy by the bureaucracy to reduce the Punjabi language and culture to a non-entity and said this must be insulated against.

During the 20-minute meeting, Ms Gandhi patiently listened to the delegates' point of view and assured them that she would ''look into the matter''.

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