India News | Delhi: DDU College Staff Protest Against Non-payment of Salaries

New Delhi, Jun 21 (PTI) Teaching and non-teaching staff members of Delhi University's Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College (DDUC) on Tuesday staged a sit-in protest against the non-payment of salaries "for the past two months".

Meanwhile, college principal Hem Chand Jain said he has written to the Delhi government asking for additional funds. The DDUC is a college that is fully funded by Delhi government.

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The college's staff association said over 250 teachers and non-teaching staff members were present during the protest. They have demanded timely release of salaries from the Delhi government.

"The staff have not received salaries for the past two months, and arrears, LTC and medical bills of the past two years are also pending," the association said in a statement.

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It also claimed that the entire staff of the college observed a total boycott of classes, administration and evaluation.

"The staff association and non-teaching staff association along with DU Teachers' Association (DUTA) and DU (Karamchari Union) ensured that Principal's office remained locked and no work takes place even in it," the association said in a statement.

It said the employees of the college and those of other colleges funded by the Delhi government have been suffering from a "persistent failure of the government to provide timely salaries for now over eight years or so for no rhyme or reason at the end of the employees".

Tuesday's protest was the third in the last 15 days -- the last two being on June 14 and June 17.

DUTA president Prof. A K Bhagi, former DUTA president Prof. Rajib Ray and other DUTA office bearers were also present during the latest dharna.

The principal told PTI that the college had demanded a fund of around Rs 66.5 crore, but the Delhi government sanctioned only Rs 37.5 crore.

"It is impossible to pay the salaries of the employees. In April, the first instalment of the budget -- Rs 8.75 crore -- came in. Out of which Rs 7 crore was used to pay the two months salaries of employees. So now I don't have enough money to pay teachers," Jain said. He informed that the salaries for the month of May have not been paid and the college does not have fund to pay for June as well.

"I have written to the Delhi government multiple times, including today. I have asked them to provide the additional fund immediately so that the salaries of the employees can be disbursed," he added.

The DUTA last week urged the vice-chancellor to convene a special meeting of the Executive Council of the University to consider the "remedial measures" to deal with the current financial crisis in Delhi government-funded colleges.

In the statement dated June 17, the DUTA said the university should consider the takeover of 12 Delhi government-funded colleges.

It asserted that such colleges are short of funds to pay salaries and other dues to the teachers and employees due to the non-release of funds by the Delhi government.

"Among these colleges, Deen Dayal Uppadhyay College is the worst hit. In this college the salary for the month of May couldn't be paid due to fund cuts imposed by the Delhi government," the statement read.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)