Hyderabad: Colleges across Telangana stayed closed on Monday as the Federation of Associations of Telangana Higher Institutions (FATHI) pressed for fee reimbursement dues.
Talks between managements and the Congress government ended late Sunday night without a breakthrough. Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu, Chief Secretary Ramakrishna Rao and senior officials discussed the issue at Pragathi Bhavan from 9 pm to midnight.
Government to hold second round of talks today
Officials said pending reimbursement tokens total nearly ₹12,000 crore. Bhatti Vikramarka said the government was ready to release dues. However, Finance Department officials sought one more day to gather data on tokens and college-wise pending amounts.
FATHI announced that officials would present the data and payment schedule at a meeting fixed for 4 pm Monday at Pragathi Bhavan. Leaders said they expected a settlement.
They warned that if the government failed to meet demands, the strike would continue from Tuesday. Colleges were told not to run classes on Monday. For pharmacy and B.Ed exams, leaders advised local managements to coordinate with universities before making decisions.
FATHI leaders said they would end the strike only if Monday’s talks produced results. Otherwise, they vowed to continue the shutdown until the government cleared dues.
