Over 4,500 employees of Punjabi University here have not received their salaries for the month of May as the state government is yet to release the monthly grant-in-aid of Rs 30 crore.
The delay has triggered resentment among employees, who have demanded immediate release of their dues. The university requires around Rs 32 crore every month to meet its salary obligations. Meanwhile, university officials said they would release the salaries once the grant was received.
Gurjeet Singh Gopalpuri, president of the Punjabi University Employees’ Association (Group B and C), said their representatives had met Higher Education Department Principal Secretary Sonali Giri and urged her to ensure the immediate release of salaries. The association also demanded a mechanism for the regular and timely disbursement of salaries, insisting that employees should receive their salaries within the first three working days of every month.
Meanwhile, Professor Nishan Singh, president of the Punjabi University Teachers’ Association (PUTA), attributed the delay to the non-receipt of the government grant.
He said salaries had been released on time over the past several months, but the latest delay had once again highlighted the financial difficulties faced by the university.
Punjabi University has been grappling with a severe financial crisis for several years and is reportedly burdened with a debt of nearly Rs 400 crore.
With salaries delayed, many employees are struggling to manage household expenses, pay their children’s school and college fees, and repay bank loans.
Amarjeet Kaur Gill, convener of the Employees’ Joint Struggle Committee, said the delay had caused significant hardships to staff members.
“Routine household expenses have been affected,” she said.
Employees’ unions have urged the university administration and Vice-Chancellor Jagdeep Singh to take immediate steps to ensure the release of salaries at the earliest.
