While the University of Mumbai had announced a mid-term Ganesh Utsav break for colleges across the city, as many as five teachers from the aided section of Kandivli’s Thakur College of Science & Commerce have reported a one-day pay cut in their salaries, claiming that the college remained functional on August 28, a day after the Ganesh festival commenced.

According to the teachers, who were travelling to their hometown during the break, they simply chose to opt for paid leave instead, but found that the college had registered it under ‘leave without pay’. “The college remained functional only for cultural activities and practicals on that day. Moreover, the absent teachers ensured that their teaching workload was adjusted on the day they remained absent,” a source told mid-day. “A lot of the teachers hail from far-off places in Maharashtra, and these breaks become a good chance for them to visit their parents in their hometown,” the source continued.