Servants' service

ALLAHABAD: Officials of Allahabad university have decided that once a group D employee retires from the services, the hostel concern can either employ the same (on daily wages) and give the salary of the person employed from hostel fund. The hostel authorities can ask for the group D from AU authorities and the same would be provided by outsourcing by AU.
The situation has surfaced because of the fact that after the implementation of the 6th Pay Commission, MHRD and UGC (University Grants Commission) has instructed the universities that no post for group D employees would be sanctioned by the UGC or MHRD. Thus, the universities could get the services of group D employees by outsourcing the same.
Acting on the same grounds, when shortage of servants had emerged at Tara Chand Hostel of AU, the university authorities has decided to get the services of the same outsourced from some external agencies. The salary for these regular group D employees was given by AU, but as they would retire, AU cannot appoint a new employee and as such hostel authorities can appoint the same but the salary will have to be borne by the hostel, which collects it from the fees of the inmates.
"If the hostel authorities ask AU to appoint a group D employee, be it on daily wage, and provide the salary from university funds, then outsourcing the services would be far less cheaper for AU and the same was done in case of TC hostel, wherein the services of around a dozen block servants would be outsourced, said the Finance Officer of AU," Pramod Kumar Singh.
But, given the situation that none of the hostel would be in a position to keep block servants from their own funds, as the annual fee of the inmates is quite less and many of the inmates do not deposit the same.
"The services of these employees are always helpful for us, as they serve multiple purposes from bringing something from the markets to provide food at our room itself, if some of us want the same. But, as their numbers are getting lesser day by day, we are facing problems especially in times of exams," said Neeraj, an inmate.
"As the block servants are retiring, not only SSL but most of the hostels are facing the problems and given the funds available at hostel concerned, hostel authorities are not in a position to give the salary, if the same is employed by the hostel," said N K Shukla, superintendent of SSL hostel. But if the same could be outsourced, it would be helpful for the inmates, he added.