PATNA, May 30 -- Three months without salary and pension, thousands of teachers, employees and retired persons of the state universities are facing a difficult situation and are threatening protests in the election-bound Bihar. A senior official of the education department, however, said that the process was in the advanced stage and the file was with the finance department after answering all the queries raised. "The grant for February, March and April will be released within a few days. There is some delay at the start of the new fiscal due to fresh process, but we are trying to work it out," he added. The two teachers' bodies -- Federation of University Teachers' Association of Bihar (FUTAB) and the Federation of University Service Teachers' Association of Bihar (FUSTAB) -- said it was not the first time there was delay and it was hurting due to the pattern it has developed every year. "Every day we get calls from teachers - working as well as retired - asking when will they get payment. Many are in desperate need. We try to find out from the department just to be told that the file had returned to the education department from finance with some queries and it has been sent again with due clarifications," said FUTAB working president KB Sinha and general secretary Sanjay Singh, MLC. The two leaders said that the process would still take time and it was unfortunate that even for salary and pension, teachers, pensioners and employees had to face such situation every year and approach court or stage protests for their legitimate rights. Earlier this year also, the two teachers' bodies had to appeal to the Chief Minister after non-payment of monthly salary for over three months on the plea that there was some snag snag in Comprehensive Financial Management System (CFMS 2.O) system being governed by finance department. Last year in September, the government had cleared Rs.2,650.17-crore for payment of salary and pension to them for the remaining months of the fiscal 2024-25 - from July to February - after protests over chronic delay. However, things again got stuck in the new fiscal. In 2023 also, the university staff and had remained without salary and pension during the festive season. Higher Education Director NK Agarwal said that now payment should not take much time. "We will release the grant as soon as we get the go ahead from the finance department. It is awaited and can come any day,"'he added. Unfortunately, the delay is not only hurting the college and university teachers. The salary of school teachers also remains stuck and a delegations of teachers also met the education minister to share their concerns. The department also took a serious view of it after discovering that despite allotment of funds there was delay reported from many districts and issued a directive that the district education officers would draw their salary only after ensuring timely payment to school teachers....