Caught in red-tapism, several employees in the higher education sector ranging from professors to last-grade employees have been denied pension and eligible remunerations for several years.

Widespread bureaucratic hurdles have been exposed through a series of adalats that have been launched by the Higher Education Department.

Many long-pending grievances which were taken up for hearing at adalats conducted recently by the offices of the Deputy Director of Collegiate Education in Kollam and Kochi brought to the fore issues that were indicative of the lackadaisical attitude that have affected the functioning of government offices for long.

Among the complaints that cropped up at the adalats were the denial of pension owing to the misplacement of service books of retired employees. In one such case, a peon who had retired from service around five years ago waited for her pension all these years after the respective college reported to have lost the document. The service book of a former college teacher apparently resurfaced at the Deputy Director’s office in Kollam, years after it was claimed to have been misplaced, official sources said.

Around 110 complaints that were considered in the adalat in Kochi on Friday pertained to long-pending applications for placements and sanctioning of advance increments under the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS). The career prospects of several aided college teachers have remained in a limbo for long, despite their promotions or increments being recommended by the respective universities.

Many guest lecturers also turned up at the adalat, seeking the release of pending remunerations which were withheld after their registration documents had been damaged in the Deputy Director’s office in Kochi. In order to resolve the issue, the Higher Education Department has instructed the applicants to obtain the affidavit of the Principal concerned to prove their service duration.

In wake of numerous complaints regarding the provision to surrender earned leave, Higher Education Minister K.T. Jaleel has directed the Director of Collegiate Education to study the issue that concerned many teachers who had taken part in examination duties during vacation periods. While the provision had been discontinued in 2010, it was later resumed by the present government in 2016.

The department has also instructed all universities to constitute committees chaired by the Vice Chancellors as part of setting up a grievance redressal mechanism. Adalats have been scheduled at varsities and the Deputy Director’s offices across the State.

Mr. Jaleel is expected to take part in the forthcoming adalats to be held at Mahatma Gandhi University (February 22), CUSAT (February 25), Kerala University (February 26), APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University (February 27), Calicut University (March 2) and Kannur University (March 8).