KURNOOL: Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Open University (BRAOU) registrar G. Laxma Reddy maintained at Hyderabad that it is AP government’s responsibility to pay salaries to the university staff pursuant to a High Court order in 2015.
The registrar was responding to a news report published in Deccan Chronicle on non-payment of salaries to BRAOU staff, academic councillors and part timers since past 13 months.
Laxma Reddy said sharing of assets between AP and Telangana is under the 10th Schedule. Thus, administration and carrying out of academic work was the joint responsibility of both states. High Court had ordered that while AP government would pay salaries to staff, its TS counterpart’s responsibility is to conduct academic activities.
About one lakh students, 30,000 of them regular, are on open university’s rolls every year.
The BRAOU registrar observed that AP government has flouted the High Court order by not paying salaries through cheques but switching to online payment. When AP had paid salaries for five years from 2015 to 2019 through cheques, it is incomprehensible as to why it had to change the payment system.
Laxma Reddy appealed to the AP government that it expedite the process of paying salaries and enable study centres to work in an efficient manner.
