More than 2,700 teaching and non-teaching staff of 12 Delhi University colleges may not get salaries from this month if Delhi government continues to withhold release of funds over non-formation of governing bodies. These 12 colleges, funded by the Delhi government are facing severe financial crisis and finding it difficult to pay salaries and develop infrastructure.     

The process of formation of governing bodies has created an impasse between Delhi university and the government with both accusing each other for delay in the process. A Delhi government official said, “There is no delay from our side. As soon as we get response on the clarification we sought from colleges, we will proceed.”

An official from Acharya Narendra Dev College on the condition of anonymity said, “The college has been forced to divert funds from college society fund to salary account. This can only go on for a month or so. The college has not even released the arrears of seventh pay commission to our teachers. The college principal has sent two letters to the Delhi government urging it to release funds but to no avail.”

He further added that situation would be worse from the next month when new academic session would be commencing and they will have no money to pay to professors.  Manoj Sinha, secretary of principals’ association of the university and the principal of Aryabhatta College said that these newly emerged institutions were suffering due to the impasse. He added, “The stopping of grants by any agency – Delhi government or UGC – is detrimental to the overall health of an institution. This is not an acceptable form of tussle between two powerful bodies.”

If a college is fully funded by an institution, it means that it gets 95 to 97 funds by an institution and two to three per cent from student fees. Depending on the size of an institution, colleges get 35 to 50 crore in funding and Rs. 2 to 4 crores from student fees annually. Sixteen colleges that are partially funded by the Delhi government are Laxmi Bai College, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, SPM College for Women, Kamla Nehru College, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, Maiteryi College, SPM College for Women, Rajdhani College, Kalindi College, Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Sri Aurbindo College, Motilal Nehru College, Shivaji College, Vivekanand College, Bharti College, and Gargi College.