THE CONSTITUTION OF THE ORISSA GOVERNMENT COLLEGE TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION

1. Name of the Association

The name of the Association shall be: The Orissa Government College Teachers' Association.

2. Aims and Objectives of the Association

• (a) To promote and safeguard the interest of the Government college teachers.
• (b) To co-operate with similar associations in Orissa and elsewhere for promoting the cause of teachers and education.
• (c) To co-operate with other gazetted officers' service associations of the State to improve service conditions in general.
• (d) To co-operate with and offer suggestions to the educational authorities for evolving a purposeful educational system in the State.

3. Membership

• (a) (i) All Government college teachers in Orissa, including those on deputation or having lien, shall be members of the Association.
• (b) (ii) Retired Government college teachers shall also be the honorary members of the Association. They, however, cannot hold any elective office of the Association.
• (c) The membership fee shall be Rs. 10.00 each per month collected at the source. The Units are to send 50% of their collections of membership fee to the O.G.C.T.A. Central Council.

4. Funds

The Association may raise funds in the form of contribution from members or from any charitable individual or institution.

5. Organisation System

The Association shall have a three-tier organisation system, viz., Unit Council, Zonal Council and Central Council.

6. The Unit Council

• (a) All teachers working in a college shall form the local Unit of the O.G.C.T.A. in that college. S.C.E.R.T., D.H.E., C.H.S.E. and Government College of Physical Education are also treated as Units of the O.G.C.T.A.
• (b) Each local Unit of the Association shall have a Unit Council consisting of a President, a Secretary, a Treasurer and two other Council-members.
• (c) The Unit Council shall function in accordance with the decisions taken and/or resolutions passed by the Central Council of the O.G.C.T.A.

7. The Zonal Council

• (a) For the purposes of organisation of the Association, the Government colleges of the State are grouped into four Zones as per the following:
  • (i) The Central Zone shall consist of all the Government colleges located in the districts of Angul, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Khurda, Nayagarh and Puri.
  • (ii) The Northern Zone shall consist of all the Government colleges located in the districts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj.
  • (iii) The Western Zone shall consist of all the Government colleges located in the districts of Bargarh, Bolangir, Deogarh, Jharsuguda, Kalahandi, Nuapada, Sambalpur, Sonepur and Sundargarh.
  • (iv) The Southern Zone shall consist of all the Government colleges located in the districts of Boudh, Gajapati, Ganjam, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nawarangpur, Phulbani and Rayagada.
• (b) There shall be a Zonal Council for each of the Zones. The Zonal Council shall consist of a Zonal Vice-President, a Zonal Secretary and all the Unit Secretaries of the component colleges.
• (c) The Zonal Council shall function in accordance with the decisions taken and/or resolutions passed by the Central Council of the O.G.C.T.A.

8. The Central Council

• (a) There shall be a Central Council at the apex of the organisation of the Association.
• (b) The Central Council shall consist of:
  • (i) President,
  • (ii) Vice-President,
  • (iii) General Secretary,
  • (iv) Joint Secretary,
  • (v) Treasurer,
  • (vi) Four members (one member from each Zone) and
  • (vii) The ex-officio members of the following categories - Four Zonal Vice-Presidents, four Zonal Secretaries and all the Unit Secretaries.

9. Election

• (a) Election to the Zonal Council and the Central Council shall be over normally by the end of November of the election year.
• (b) The out-going Central Council shall nominate/constitute an Election Commission consisting of a Chairman and two members to conduct the election as per the provisions of this Constitution and declare the results thereof.
• (c)
  • (i) The office bearers of the Zonal Council and the Central Council shall hold office for a term of two years from the date on which they assume the respective offices.
  • (ii) They shall, notwithstanding the expiry of their term, continue to hold offices until their successors assume the respective offices. However, under no circumstance they can hold office for more than six months after expiry of their 2-year term.
  • (iii) A person cannot hold two offices of the Association unless otherwise provided in the Constitution.
  • (iv) No office bearer shall hold the same office for more than two terms.
• (d)
  • (i) All office bearers shall be elected by direct election.
  • (ii) The Election Commission shall publish a notification fixing the detailed programme for the impending election. This notification must be issued at least 60 (sixty) clear days before the date of election.
  • (iii) The Commission shall invite, scrutinise and publish the list of valid nominations for different posts. The nominations, duly proposed and seconded, shall reach the Commission not less than 30 (thirty) clear days before the date of election.
  • (iv) The Commission shall appoint a Presiding Officer in every unit who shall conduct the election in his unit.
  • (v) Election to various offices shall be held on the date and at the time as fixed by the Election Commission. Every unit of the O.G.C.T.A. shall constitute a polling booth for the purpose of election.
  • (vi) All members of the unit shall cast their votes in the presence of the Presiding Officer using the ballot papers supplied by the Commission to the Presiding Officer bearing the signature of the Chairman of the Commission. A ballot box shall be kept in a specified place for the purpose of voting which shall be notified to the members earlier by the Presiding Officer.
  • (vii) After the polling is over, votes shall be counted by the Presiding Officer in the presence of the Counting Agents, if any, of the candidates and the results shall be communicated to the Election Commission immediately. The Commission shall consolidate the results and publish it on the date notified by it earlier. In case of equality of votes between any two or more candidates, the election of the successful candidate shall be determined by lot.
  • (viii) Those members who are on deputation and do not come under any unit, shall cast their vote by postal ballot supplied to them by the Commission on request.
  • (ix) The newly elected office bearers shall take oath of office on the date fixed by the Election Commission earlier. The oath taking ceremony shall be held in the State Capital either in the O.G.C.T.A. office or in any unit as fixed by the Commission. After the oath taking ceremony is over, charges shall be handed over to the newly elected office bearers in the presence of the Commission.
  • (x) Any member can contest for any of the posts of the Central Council as specified in Article 8 and the Zonal Council as specified in Article 7.
  • (xi) Election to all the Unit Councils shall be over by the 15th of November of the election year at the respective unit levels and it shall not come under the purview of the Election Commission.

10. Functions of the Central Council

• (a) The President shall preside over the Annual Convention and the Central Council meetings.
• (b) The President shall promote the interest of the Association in accordance with the resolutions passed by the Annual Convention or by the Central Council.
• (c) In case the President is absent, the Vice-President shall transact the business of the President.
• (d) The General Secretary shall call meetings of the Annual Convention and the Central Council, take action on the resolutions passed by the Annual Convention and the Central Council and perform such other duties as are assigned to him from time to time.
• (e) In the absence of the General Secretary, the Joint Secretary shall act as the General Secretary.
• (f) The Treasurer shall keep accounts of the Association and shall present the audited accounts before the Annual Convention.
• (g) A post of auditor be there to review the accounts.

11. Vacancy

In the event of a vacancy occurring in the Central Council, the remaining members of the Central Council may co-opt any member of the Association to fill up the temporary vacancy till the next constitutional election.

12. Annual Convention

• (a) The Annual Convention of the O.G.C.T.A. shall be held normally every year on the last Sunday of November, on three weeks’ notice, at such place as may be decided by the Central Council.
• (b) The Annual Convention shall have normally two sessions, viz., inaugural and business.
• (c) The General Secretary shall present the annual report at the inaugural session.
• (d) At the business session the statement of accounts of the Association shall be presented by the Treasurer.
• (e) The Annual Convention shall consider such resolutions which are sponsored by the local Units or by individual members which are allowed to be moved by the Central Council.

13. Extra-ordinary Convention

An extra-ordinary convention of the Association may be convened by the Central Council by a special resolution or on a written requisition by at least two hundred members of different colleges or by a joint resolution from at least five local Units of the Association with special agenda. The requisition shall be addressed to the President. Soon after receiving the requisition but not later than ten days, the General Secretary shall convene a meeting of the Central Council to decide the date (not later than 15 days from the date of Central Council meeting) and the venue of such meeting.

14. Quorum

• (a) The quorum of the general convention shall be one hundred and fifty with representation from one third of the local Units.
• (b) The quorum for meeting of the Central Council shall be eleven.
• (c) No quorum shall be required for the adjourned meetings.

15. Amendment

Amendment of any of these provisions shall be made by a 2/3rd majority of members present and voting at the Annual Convention.

Provided that the proposals for such amendments are to come in form of adopted resolutions from one or more Units addressed to the General Secretary at least 45 days before the date of the Annual Convention.

The General Secretary shall circulate the proposals for amendment, if any, to the different Units within 14 days of its receipt.

16. Disciplinary Action

An office bearer of the Association who persistently violates the constitution of the Association or who acts contrary to the resolution either of the Annual Convention or of the Central Council shall be liable to disciplinary action by the Central Council.

17. Dissolution

Should the Association be dissolved at an extra-ordinary convention of the Association specifically convened for the purpose by a majority of 75% of members present and voting, the assets shall vest with the Government College Teachers' Welfare Fund.