State clears arrear due payment for Hill colleges' staff

SNS, DARJEELING, 26 MARCH 2022 : The West Bengal College and University Professors' Association  (WBCUPA), Hill Unit, has claimed that arrears of teaching and non-teaching staff of colleges amounting to more than Rs 7 crore had finally been given clearance by the state government.

"The long arrears amounting to Rs 7 crore 77 lakh 98 thousand 365 for all teaching and non-teaching staff of nine colleges in Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts under the GTA have received clearance from the Finance Department," said Dr Amlan Lahiri, Secretary, WBCUPA (Hill Unit).

"Since these colleges are not under the direct jurisdiction of the Department of Higher Education, with the GTA being responsible for the disbursement of funds, irregularities in the distribution of college arrears are often noticed. Even if the money comes from the Government on time, the promptness seen in disbursing arrears for the schools and other government offices is rare in case of the colleges," said Dr Lahiri.

According to the WBCUPA, they had taken up the matter with the GTA on numerous occasions in the past, with the issue, however, not being resolved. They maintained that it was only after they submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in June 2021 that the matter was taken up further, and the GTA asked to get information about the total arrear. They said that after the GTA sent the details, the arrear amount was finally released by the Finance department on 23 March this year.