Siliguri, Feb. 18: Siliguri subdivisional officer in-charge (SDO), Dibyendu Das, has asked senior education department officials to clear all pending pension files of retired teachers within a fortnight.

Das held a meeting today with Siddartha Bhattacharya, deputy director, accounts (DDA), Riaz-ul-Karim, inspector of schools, Siliguri education district, and office bearers of the All Bengal Teachers’ Association (ABTA).

The meeting was convened after Kailash Singh, who had retired as an assistant headmaster of Nil Nalini Vidyamandir (higher secondary) of Ashrampara 10 months ago, launched an indefinite hunger strike this morning, protesting against the delay in sanctioning his pension. He later withdrew the fast following the order. “It has been decided that we will send back all pending pension files to the DDA office so that Bhattacharya can take necessary steps,” said Karim. He added that three pension cases were pending before him.

“For the past couple of months, I have been running from pillar to post to get the pension files cleared. All the documents were submitted to the officials concerned, but they would delay the process on one pretext or other. I had no other option but to resort to hunger strike. Now that the SDO has taken the right step, I hope that I will get pension fast,” said Singh.

Teachers alleged that the DDA office was holding back pensions on “flimsy grounds”. “In Singh’s case, the office had asked him to produce acquittance roll of 1981-82, a demand which is completely outside the purview of rules,” said Sumanta Bagchi, unit secretary of the ABTA.But Karim said acquittance rolls, in which salary disbursements were mentioned, were needed to see if records at the accounts office and service book matched or not.