There was a meeting of all IITs in Chennai Sunday. The decision to protest was also discussed there but it was left to the individual organisations of faculty members to protest the way they choose.

?You know the problem with our pay hike. There is dissatisfaction among many,? M. Balakrishnan, dean of post-graduate studies at IIT-Delhi, told IANS.

Similarly, at IIT-Guwahati faculty members are likely to go on a strike some time in the near future.

?There is disparity between the salary of an assistant and associate professor at IITs. The UGC scale for central university professors is more than for us. This is a key issue. There are other anomalies as well,? IIT-Guwahati director Gautam Barua told IANS over phone.

?After the Chennai meeting, the association sent a memorandum to the human resource development (HRD) ministry. We expect the ministry to respond soon. As the director of my institute, I hope there will be no protest but I cannot say this with surety. Faculty association of my institute may go on strike anytime,? he added.