LARKANA: Quaid-e-Awam Engineering College, Larkana, has not yet been regularised despite a passage of 10 years, which has left the fate of about 300 employees in uncertainty. The PC-4 of the project is pending for approval at the CM House while the college has no proper budget.
Principal Niaz Ahmed Memon told journalists that they college faculty has tried its best to get resolved the issues faced by the college; however, until and unless the PC-4 is approved, the problem for monthly disbursement of salaries will persist.
Finance Director Fazal Shaikh said that budget is approved by the secretary of universities at the CM House, which will soon be released. He said that college must have its own regular budget which should be released annually.
So far Rs2billion have been released by the federal government for the college, sources said, adding the Larkana’s Girls Degree College building was handed over to this college, located at the Airport Road.
From the very beginning, this college has been run on an ad-hoc budget by the university, but nobody knows where Rs2billion have gone as the college still has no proper building and facilities.
For the last few months, at least 300 employees of the college are not getting salaries on a regular basis. Sajad Jokhio, college employees welfare association leader, said that they got the salary of November on December 15, and the salary of December is still awaited. He said that they will start a campaign and hold protests for regularizing the college from the 9th January.
This college is still lacking hostel accommodation facilities districts, and for boarders, various residences have been hired. Currently, students are living in the education department building which is about three kilometres away from the college.
As many as 225 male students and 25 female students are admitted to this college every year. For now, the college has a student strength of 950 students; whereas only four departments of the college are active and the condition of their labs is poor as well.
The college is affiliated with Quaid-e-Awam University of Engineering and Technology, Nawabshah, which was inaugurated jointly by PPP leaders Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on October 29, 2009.