ANANTAPUR: Reopening of the campus colleges of Sri Krishnadevaraya University (SKU), near here, after the Sankranti vacation has been postponed to January 23 with continuing protest of the non-teaching staff of the university demanding implementation of pay revision.

Their protest entered third day on Wednesday. Students from far-off places in Anantapur and Kurnool districts, who returned to the campus on January 17, were disappointed and forced to return to their homes as mess employees were also on the protest.

The non-teaching staff — about 300 — have been staging a sit-in in front of the Vice-Chancellor's chambers from January 16. They have issued an ultimatum to the university authorities that they would go on strike from January 19 if their demands were not met.

Unable to give in to the non-teaching staff's demand for implementation of pay revision, the university authorities decided to postpone the re-opening of the campus to January 23 at an emergency meeting here on Tuesday night.

Later, Vice Chancellor A. Rama Rao and Registrar T. Srinivasulu Reddy left for Hyderabad to attend an official meeting. They are likely to return on January 19.

Stand-off

The stand-off between the non-teaching staff and the authorities was the result of a decision taken at the Vice-Chancellors' conference held at Tirupati that they (universities) would take up pay revision separately. Meanwhile, the continuing closure of hostels (messes) is creating a lot of inconvenience to the students. Students led by the AISF, the SFI, the NSUI and the TNSF protested in front of the Principal's chambers. They burnt an effigy of the V-C and staged a rasta roko on NH-205.

Student leaders — Rami Reddy, Venkatappa, Rajagopal and others — warned of intensifying protest from Thursday.

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