Bihar: ‘Dark’ Diwali for varsity teachers, staff

PATNA: Thousands of working and retired teachers and non-teaching staff of different universities in the state are compelled to celebrate ‘dark Diwali’ this year due to non-payment of salaries for the last three months. Earlier, they could not celebrate even Dussehra in the absence of salary or pension.
Federation of University Teachers’ Associations of Bihar working president Kanhaiya Bahadur Sinha said no serving or superannuated university staff has received any payment after July this year.Almost all the important festivals passed off without giving any happiness to the staff and their family members as they had no money in their hands. Worse is the condition of retired class III and IV staff and family pensioners who face immense hardships owing to non-payment of their pension continuously for months together, he said.
Sinha said even though the employees of the state government got their salaries for both September and October in advance on account of Durga Puja and Diwali, the university staff have failed to get the same even today. And, in all probability, the university staff would not get their salaries even on the eve of Chhath festival.
Expressing grave concern over the irregular payment of salaries and pension, the aggrieved university staff threaten to launch direct action when the universities reopen after Diwali and Chhath holidays in protest against the alleged apathy of the state education department towards the teachers and non-teaching staff of the universities.
All India Federation of University and College Teachers Organisations secretary Arun Kumar has urged the chief minister to intervene and expedite payment of salaries and pension to the university staff. He said the government must not be so insensitive towards teachers and non-teaching staff who have been rendering their services sincerely all along.