Telangana Government Rushes to Clear Fee Arrears to Prevent College Strike
FATHI representatives also held discussions with Deputy Chief Minister and finance minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and IT minister D. Sridhar Babu on Saturday.
Hyderabad: The state government has decided to hold talks with managements of private professional, degree and PG colleges to prevent their proposed indefinite strike from September 15. Official sources said Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Saturday reviewed the issue with the finance and education departments regarding clearance of fee reimbursement arrears in a phased manner.
The managements have cited arrears of nearly Rs.8,000 crore accumulated over the past five years as their reason for the protest. They alleged that although the government had issued tokens worth Rs.1,200 crore last year towards reimbursement, payment was not released. The managements said that they faced mounting debts and were unable to pay salaries to teaching and non-teaching staff.
Following the CM’s directions, his adviser Vem Narender Reddy met with representatives of the Federation of Associations of Telangana Higher Institutions (FATHI) on Saturday. He urged them to withdraw the strike and conveyed the Chief Minister’s assurance that the government would resolve the issue amicably.
FATHI representatives also held discussions with Deputy Chief Minister and finance minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and IT minister D. Sridhar Babu on Saturday. The managements said Bhatti had promised to meet them again on Sunday to work out a solution. The government was expected to release Rs.1,200 crore in the first phase, with assurances to clear the balance in a phased, time-bound manner.
However, FATHI chairman Nimmatoori Ramesh Babu told this newspaper that the strike would not be withdrawn on the basis of assurances alone. He said managements wanted the government to release at least a part of the arrears immediately as proof of commitment.
Ramesh Babu added that the FATHI general body would meet on Sunday to finalise the demands to be presented before the government when Bhatti holds talks with them.
The standoff has created uncertainty for lakhs of students in higher education, with college managements insisting that unless the government acts swiftly, they cannot continue operations. The talks on Sunday are expected to be crucial in deciding whether the strike goes ahead or is called off.
