VIJAYAWADA: More than a decade after the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, employees and staff of Dr BR Ambedkar Open University (BRAOU) in the erstwhile State are still paying the price, quite literally. For the last seven months, around 500 teaching and non-teaching staff working in the study centres of BRAOU across the State have not received salaries, plunging many into financial distress.
The deadlock stems from a bureaucratic vacuum following the cessation of BRAOU services in Andhra Pradesh earlier this year. While the university, headquartered in Hyderabad, continued to serve the State for a decade post-bifurcation, its recent withdrawal has left a major gap in administrative clarity, especially regarding salary bill approvals.
“We have been working without pay since January. There is no clarity on who is responsible now. Telangana says the service ended, and AP hasn’t yet set up an alternate university. How long can we survive like this?” asked a senior academic coordinator.
Until January, the attendance and pension records of staff and retirees were forwarded from AP’s study centres to the headquarters in Hyderabad, which prepared the salary bill and sent it to the AP State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE). APSCHE, in turn, submitted it to the CFMS (Comprehensive Financial Management System) for payment. But since the university ceased services, the chain has snapped, and no alternative mechanism has been established.
“I took loans to pay my daughter’s college fee and my rent,” said Srinivasulu, a library assistant. “We served the people of AP for ten years. Why this neglect now?” A senior faculty member from Nellore, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “The Cabinet approved the setting up of a new university recently, but there’s been no progress on the ground. The Higher Education Department is silent.”
Every month, the State government disbursed `50 lakh towards salaries and pensions for these staffers. Now, with no designated authority to process the bills, the question hangs: who will clear them? The staff and faculty are urging the government to immediately clarify the issues of salary approval and operational responsibilities. “We have waited long enough,” said a research faculty member. “Our families can’t wait any longer.”
Speaking to TNIE, Dr BR Ambedkar Open University OSD Velaga Joshi acknowledged the dire situation faced by the university staff. “Although the court had instructed the Telangana government to approve the salary bills to release the pending salaries, it has been reluctant to act,” he said.
He added that the employees have also filed a contempt of court petition in the High Court and are now awaiting its decision. He mentioned that the issue was brought to the attention of the AP government, urging the appointment of a Deputy Director rank officer to attest the bills for salary release. “The file is currently under process in the Finance Department, and I hope the issue will be resolved soon,” he said.
He further said that the university will be established in the Eluru district and that the delay in salary disbursement is partly due to ongoing procedures related to the university’s establishment.
