Bhubaneswar, Feb. 24: Tension gripped the Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya as its contractual teachers resorted to strike demanding immediate release of their salaries.

As many as 22 guest lecturers of the institute rued that their payments had not been released since the past eight months.

'We have been working since the past several months with no payment. Many of our families are solely dependent on us, and it's getting tough to run our households without the salaries for such a long stretch. Despite several complaints, the authorities have taken no steps to solve the problem,' said Nimakant Routray, a guest lecturer at the institute.

The institute authorities assured us that they were trying their best to facilitate the process.

'I have sent a proposal to the state government and included their salaries in the annual budget plan as well. I cannot tell a fixed time when they would get their salaries, but they will definitely get it. The process is taking time and would be sorted out,' said principal Tamasarani Das Mohapatra.

'We work without any service benefits and with a 'no work no pay' rule,' she said. The guest lectures are entitled to a salary of Rs 15,600 per month while the assistant guest lecturers receive Rs 9,300.

The principal further admitted that as most of the teachers were guest lectures, their absence would tell upon the academics of the students. 'I have requested them to continue with the classes, so that the students do not face any problem,' said the principal.

The institute has only four permanent lecturers and the rest are guest faculties.

A teacher said they would wait till Monday next week. 'If by that time we do not receive our salaries, we would intensify the strike,' said another demonstrator. While there are 22 sanctioned posts for the college, 19 have fallen vacant over the years.

The culture department set up the college through the Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi in 1964, and it has students in Plus Two and undergraduate courses. It is affiliated to the Council of Higher Secondary Education at the Plus Two level and the Utkal University of Culture at the degree level.

The institute continues to be the only government college imparting education in the fields of music, dance and drama. The show is entirely managed by guest faculty. Of 12 disciplines in which academic training is offered, there is one permanent lecturer each for Odissi vocal, Odissi pakhawaj and Hindustani vocal. Similarly, the college has only six assistant lecturers against 12 posts.

Though there have been demands time and again by the students regarding appointment of guest faculty as permanent lecturers in the college, no steps have yet been taken.

The vacancies have also affected day-to-day functions of the institute.