Attendance order not followed, salary of Mandi's Sardar Patel University staff delayed

Dipender Manta

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Mandi, January 5

The teaching staff of the Sardar Patel University (SPU), Mandi, have been left high and dry as their one-month salary has been delayed by the Finance Department due to non-compliance of an order related to biometric attendance.

High Court order

• In 2020, the HP High Court had issued an order to the state government to implement biometric attendance in all colleges of the state
• Later, a Solan university had sought clarification
• The court replied that it was an autonomous body but it could not claim any greater and higher right than other colleges

WE’RE BEING SINGLED OUT

Why is the SPU being singled out for the implementation of this order? I want a composite order for all state universities. Then I will be the first person to implement the order. Anupama Singh, pro vc, sardar patel university

In 2020, the HP High Court had issued an order to the state government to implement biometric attendance for teaching and non-teaching staff in all colleges of the state. Thereafter, Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, had moved an application to seek clarification regarding this judgement. In response to the application, the court said the university was an autonomous body but it could not claim any greater and higher right than other colleges of the state.

After the court order, on 18 November, 2022, the Chief Secretary had issued an order to the Registrar of the university to implement biometric attendance in the university. On February 13 last year, Dr Madan Kumar, the registrar of SPU, issued an order to the university administration to implement the biometric attendance for teaching and non-teaching staff. The order is being implemented only on non-teaching staff.

Pro Vice Chancellor Anupama Singh said, “The order of court was only for the colleges of the state. I do not understand why the Registrar is so keen to implement this order in the SPU. It is not yet applicable in any university of the state. Why is the SPU being singled out for the implementation of this order? I am not against implementation of biometric attendance. I want a composite order for all universities of the state. Then I will be the first person to implement this order in the SPU.”

Dr Madan Kumar, Registrar, said, “It is a High Court order which is being implemented across the state. The Chief Secretary and Secretary, Higher Education, of the state government gave a clear direction to implement the court order in letter and spirit.”

State Finance Department officer Pramod Jaswal maintained it was a state government order to implement biometric attendance in the SPU, Mandi.