Hyderabad: Salary still eludes Urdu Academy staff

Hyderabad: Even as the State government celebrated Ramzan festivities on a grand scale, the employees of Telangana State Urdu Academy are crying for attention. They are pleading for their pending salary for the past two months. Some 50 employees' salaries have been kept pending.

Unable to buy new clothes for their families for the festival, the employees said they were disappointed. They said they have been receiving salary on and off for the last one year due to lack of budget. However, it has been almost a year since posts of heads, including chairman and director, were vacant in the academy, one of the important institutions for the minorities.

According to sources, since the last financial year no budget was released for the academy. "The Urdu Academy receives budget in three quarters. It has not received the budget of two quarters in 2020-2021 financial year. Even during the current financial year no funds were released," said a source. The academy has been headless since the last 10 months. "The term of the previous chairman Maulana Mohammed Raheemuddin Ansari ended in August. Since then none has been appointed by the government. The director was removed by the government without specifying reasons. Since then the institution is headless and no authority is present to call for yearly budget," added the source.

With non-release of the budget the staff is suffering; they are not receiving salary on time. "The staff has been receiving salary on and off since last one year. As many as 52 employees, including permanent and contract, are suffering. They were not able to celebrate Eid as salary was not paid to them. We urge the government to fill posts of heads and release salary on time," said an employee on the condition of anonymity. "Most of us live in rented houses; we are unable to pay rent and school fee of children. We thought of celebrating Ramzan like others, but the situation is quite disheartening," said another employee.

According to sources, though the government sanctioned around Rs 5 crore for 26 schemes to preserve and promote Urdu, it has not yet released a single pie.

Social activist Asif Hussain says work of the academy has been paralysed due to non-appointment of chairman and director and also due to lack of funds. "How can the academy carry out its activities under such circumstances," he asked.