Retired ULB teachers draw peanuts as pension

ROURKELA: Retirement is the respect given for the years of service put in. But for many, the struggle for their legitimate pension continues. Going through hard times are 90 teachers and non-teaching staff of schools under Rourkela municipality. While many continue to live in utter poverty, drawing a paltry sum as provisional pension, at least four died even before availing of retirement benefits.The pensioners have been living amidst uncertainties since 2004 after the School and Mass Education Department took over all schools of Urban Local Bodies, which till then functioned under the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Department across the State.The take-over by the School and Mass Education Department saw nearly 400 teaching and non-teaching staff of 20 high schools and 50 primary and UP schools under the municipality going into its fold in 2000. Since then around 96 of them have retired in different course of time.Sources said initially each retired teacher got a provisional pension of around   Rs 2,100. Subsequently, it was revised with time increment to Rs 5,285 and it  is now applicable to all retired teachers. Some retired teachers said it is  injustice to them as sustaining on the paltry pension money is impossible. With the Education Department in a fix to sort out some contentious issues which are delaying finalisation of retirement benefits, beneficiaries are bearing the brunt. The major bottleneck has been confusing data regarding service modalities during their tenure under the HUD Department and School and Mass Education Department. Previously, the HUD Department claimed to have supplied doctored service records of some teachers. Rourkela MLA and HUD Minister SP Nayak said the education department is working to resolve the problems.