Kavitha Backs Osmania Employees, Questions Delay In Rs 1,000 Crore Funds

Telangana Rakshana Sena president Kalvakuntla Kavitha has demanded that the state government immediately address the long-pending grievances of Osmania University employees, alleging that workers who have served universities for nearly 35 years continue to face injustice. She called for a comprehensive resolution of issues affecting both teaching and non-teaching staff, stressing that the government must honour its commitments to university employees.

Kavitha participated in a massive protest organised by non-teaching employees outside the Osmania University Administrative Building on Tuesday and expressed solidarity with their demands. Appreciating the unity between permanent and non-permanent employees, she said it was encouraging to see regular staff joining the struggle for contractual workers' rights. She criticised Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy for failing to respond despite employees continuing their agitation for nearly one-and-a-half years.

Questioning the government's commitment to the university, Kavitha asked what had happened to the Rs 1,000 crore promised for Osmania University. She said the Chief Minister had highlighted the appointment of a person from the Madiga community as Vice-Chancellor for the first time in the institution's 105-year history but had failed to release the promised funds. She said withholding financial support while putting the Vice-Chancellor under pressure was inappropriate.

Kavitha also questioned the Governor's silence on the employees' grievances and said the Vice-Chancellor should directly represent their concerns before the Chief Minister. She flagged the lack of basic facilities for women employees and criticised the discontinuation of Rs 3-4 lakh financial assistance previously extended to the families of deceased non-permanent, contract and time-scale workers. She demanded a review of the 2023 decision and EPF-related issues.

Raising concerns over recruitment, Kavitha alleged that the university, which previously offered nearly 85 per cent of security jobs to locals, was now recruiting retired Army personnel from Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and other states. She urged the administration to protect employment opportunities for local candidates.

She also extended support to employees who joined service between 2001 and 2004 and are demanding the implementation of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). Accusing Congress of going back on its assurance, she pledged continued support to the agitation and threatened to lead the protest if action was taken against employees.