Hyderabad: Administration work across various Osmania University departments has been affected by an ongoing hunger strike by its non-teaching staff.
Around 15 to 20 staffers have been protesting the non-release of block grants for the past four days. The university campus has around 3,200 permanent and contracted non-teaching staff.
Mr B. Gyaneshwar, president of the Non-Gazetted Officers Association at the university, said: “OU’s financial situation is terrible. The state government releases Rs 19 crore every month out of the block grant. But since the start of this financial year, the TS government has not released a single rupee and we have received only part of our salaries. Even deductions from salaries to loans and insurance policies have not been credited.” Mr Gyaneshwar added that Rs 57 crore of last year’s Rs 238 crore block grant has not been released.
“Of this, Rs 25 crore was released this month which has been utilised completely for payment of pension and DA arrears. But of the 100 people who had not received their pensions since June of last year, only 50 have been paid their dues. There is also a need to increase block grant.”
