KARACHI, March 29: Hundreds of employees, transferred to the newly established Office of the Provincial Manager, (Colleges), are faced with financial hardship due to non-payment of their salaries.

Well-placed sources in the Education Department said that the control of colleges was taken back by the provincial government from the city government through an ordinance promulgated in November 2006. Following the establishment of the department, high-ranking officials were transferred on deputation from the parent departments to the Office of the Provincial Manager (Colleges) whereas the office and clerical/other staff were transferred from various colleges or the city government’s education department. Offices of the Provincial Manager (Colleges) were located in five regions of the province.

The sources said that since the department had been established recently, there was no sanctioned budget for it and the employees transferred from various colleges were getting their salaries from the parent departments.

However, the parent departments have now stopped disbursing salaries to these employees although the Office of the Provincial Manager does not have salary budget to pay them their salaries. Many of the affected employees have to go on long leave due to financial hardship as they have not been paid salaries for a couple of months.