Hyderabad: 85 engineering, management colleges asked to pay salaries to faculty, staff

Hyderabad: The State Technical Education department has asked 85 colleges to pay salaries of their faculty and other non-teaching staff for the period of lockdown. The department asked 85 private engineering and other technical colleges to implement the directions of AICTE and the State government regarding payment of salaries to the faculty and non-teaching staff for the period of lockdown.

The Commission of Technical Education, Navin Mittal sent a letter to this effect to the registrar of JNTUH, Osmania University and Kakatiya University on Thursday.

The department's action has come against the backdrop of a complaint received from the Telangana Technical Institutes Employees Association (TTIEA) on non-payment of salaries during the Covid lockdown period to the faculty and the non-teaching staff of the colleges.

The letter said that the complaint, referring to the notifications of the State government, circular of the AICTE and the JNTUH have told to the principals of the engineering, pharmacy, architecture, MBA and MCA colleges in Telangana to comply with the circulars and directives of the State government. The AICTE and the State government had directed the colleges to pay salaried to the staff during the period of lockdown.

The Commissioner's letter pointed out that apart from paying salaries for the lockdown period, the AICTE had also barred the colleges from issuing termination orders to the employees of the colleges during the lockdown period.

Against this backdrop, the department asked the registrars of three universities to ensure that the colleges affiliated to the respective universities comply with the AICTE circulars, instructions and the orders of the State government.