Interval at FTII,staff want curtains down on registrar

The staff members,joined by the faculty and the students,today demanded the resignation of FTII Registrar S K Thakur,for allegedly threatening one of them.

Over 180 staff members at the FTII,eligible to get their salaries as per the Sixth Pay Commission,said they had been waiting for their revised salaries since September 2008. On Saturday,when they approached the Registrar for the arrears,he not only allegedly threatened a member,but also called the police.

Speaking on behalf of the staff members,staff association president P A Mahajan said,“Our salaries have been revised as per the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations and we were to get 40 per cent of the arrears by March 31. We approached the management demanding the amount which stands at Rs 1.53 crore. While the issue could have been sorted out in a peaceful manner,irresponsible behaviour of the Registrar gave it an unwanted twist.”

While the staff members have been protesting since September last year,they were joined by the students on Saturday. The students decided not to attend any lectures till the staff members were given their due. Explaining the students’ side about their involvement in a first-of-its-kind protest at the FTII,students’ association president Tathagata Singha said,“The Registrar also threatened that the institute would be shut if we continued with the protest. The FTII is an institute of historic significance and anyone who,without understanding the legacy of the institute,makes such statements does not deserve to be the chief administrative officer of the institute.”

Meanwhile,Thakur refused to comment on the allegations made against him.

FTII director Pankaj Rag said,“We have funds worth Rs 50 lakh that will be used for settling the arrears of C and D category staff members and the amounts will be transferred to their accounts within 24-48 hours. The arrears of A and B category staff members will be settled within a week or two. The Registrar is appointed not by the institute but by the government and his resignation is beyond the span of control of the FTII management. However,if the protesters demand his transfer,then they will have to submit a letter which will be forwarded to the ministry for further action.” Mahajan said,“We have already sent a letter through fax to the Information and Broadcast Ministry demanding the removal of the Registrar.”