A fortnight or so after an order asking a number of lecturers to repay their arrears was put on hold by the State government, the Department of Collegiate Education (DCE) has asked them to return part of the amount.
In many cases, the department has identified that arrears were given to lecturers not just on basic pay, but also on dearness allowance, house rent allowance and city compensatory allowance. “The calculation was not correct and the lecturers were supposed to get arrears only on basic pay. So we have asked the excess amount to be repaid,” a senior official said.
Around 5,000 lecturers will have to repay a sum between ₹20,000 and ₹1.2 lakh, paid as arrears between January 1, 2006 and December 23, 2009.
The move has not gone down well with the lecturers, who plan to approach the State government to rethink the decision. H. Prakash, president of the Karnataka Government College Teachers’ Association, said it was impractical to ask lecturers to repay an amount that has already been spent. “We have called for a meeting on October 6 and we will strike against this decision,” he said.
