After Covid-19 scare in accounts section, salary delayed for staff at Visva Bharati | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
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After Covid-19 scare in accounts section, salary delayed for staff at Visva Bharati

Hindustan Times, Kolkata | ByJoydeep Thakur | Edited by Sohini Sarkar
Jul 08, 2020 04:29 PM IST

The university issued the notice only after Sudipta Bhattacharyya; president of the Visva Bharati University Faculty Association lodged a RTI on July 5 over the delay in salary for the month of June.

Professors and employees of Visva Bharati in Shantiniketan – the only central university in West Bengal – have not yet received their salaries for the month of June, allegedly due to a Covid-19 scare.

Students attend an outdoor class on the Visva Bharati campus in West Bengal’s Shantiniketan.(HT PHOTO.)
Students attend an outdoor class on the Visva Bharati campus in West Bengal’s Shantiniketan.(HT PHOTO.)

The university authorities issued a notice on July 7, saying that salaries would be released after the central administrative building reopens. The building was shut down for sanitization towards the end of June.

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“I am directed to inform you that as soon as the central administrative building is sanitized, normal activities including the release of salary shall immediately be undertaken,” said the notice signed by Asha Mukherjee, acting registrar of Visva Bharati.

The university issued the notice only after Sudipta Bhattacharyya; president of the Visva Bharati University Faculty Association lodged a RTI on July 5 over the delay in salary for the month of June.

Two heads of two separate departments, however, said that the administrative building had to be shut down in June-end after two employees in the accounts department were detected with fever.

“I don’t know whether they tested positive for Covid-19 but the building was shut down around June 29 as a precautionary measure. We were told that it would open after a few days, around two weeks from June 29 and after proper santisation,” said one of the assistant professors, on conditions of anonymity.

The university authorities, however, remained tightlipped on the letter issued on July 7. While acting registrar Asha Mukherjee said she was not authorized to speak to the media and only the spokesperson would speak, the spokesperson of Visva Bharati didn’t respond to multiple calls and messages throughout the day.

Usually employees receive their salaries and pension by the end of every month. There are more than 3,500 people who receive salaries and pension including employees, faculties, security personnel and pensioners among others

“But this time we haven’t received our salary. We have not been told either as to when we will receive it. We were just told that we will get our salaries after the central administrative building reopens after proper sanitization,” said another assistant professor.

In February, the university authorities had issued a notice that salary could be delayed due to paucity of funds. Later, the union human resource development (HRD) ministry sought an explanation from the management.

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