Himachal govt vs varsity feud: SPU teaching staff’s January salary withheld
Varsity finance dept says biometrics being avoided for attendance
Pro VC says biometric form of attendance applicable in govt colleges, schools only
The Newz Radar
Mandi: The academic staff at Sardar Patel University here has yet to receive their salaries for January, despite several meetings with the university administration.
Sources informed The Newz Radar (TNR) that this has become a recurring issue at SPU, where the salaries of professors are held back by the finance department on various pretexts every month.
It has come to light that a few months ago, professors and the finance officer engaged in a heated argument on the same issue, resulting in tension on the campus.
It is believed by many that some individuals are working against the smooth operation of the university, whose survival is already precarious without any communication from the government.
No executive council or financial committee meetings have been held in the past one and a half years since their inception in April 2022.
Anupama Singh, Pro Vice Chancellor, said that salary payments were stopped by the Registrar, SPU, Madan Kumar, citing a High Court order that mandated biometrics in schools and colleges. She said that the order applied to government schools and colleges, not universities. She questioned why this was imposed on SPU, leading to the withholding of salaries of professors.
The Pro VC found it surprising that the registrar insisted on biometrics for attendance without corresponding orders from either the court or the government.
She said that SPU was running under the guidelines of HPU in all its workings and it was highly regrettable that it was being targetted for settling “petty” political goals.
Meanwhile, the teaching staff of the SPU submitted a memorandum to the Pro Vc against the injustice being meted out to them by withholding their salaries for not using biometric machines for attendance.
Registrar Madan Kumar dismissed all allegations, claimed ignorance, and shifted responsibility to the finance officer for these matters.
Finance officer Pramod Jaswal, following the Registrar’s orders, asserted that he had nothing personal against anyone. He alleged that those opposing biometrics were individuals not attending the university yet still drawing salaries.
He clarified that he was adhering to government and court orders but couldn’t explain why SPU was compelled to implement biometrics when no other government university was doing it.
