The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Dissolve panels on fee structure of engineering colleges: PMK

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 14, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Dissolve panels on fee structure of engineering colleges: PMK

By Our Staff Reporter

TIRUNELVELI, JUNE 13. Urging the State government to dissolve the two committees constituted to finalise the admission process and fee structure of self-finance engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu, the Pattali Makkal Katchi demanded a "probe into the functioning of these committees."

"The probe committee should comprise academicians, representatives of non-governmental organisations, parents and the press so that it will uncover the functioning of these committees. We will meet the Chief Minister and also organise a rally when the Assembly is convened for the next session," the PMK founder, S. Ramadoss, told reporters here today.

He alleged that the Raman Committee, constituted to finalise the fee structure of self-finance engineering colleges, had steeply increased the fee without visiting any college or seeking advice of experts and social activists though the managements did not ask for an upward revision. While similar committees formed in Kerala and Maharashtra reduced the fee by 50 per cent and more, the Raman Committee hiked the fee ranging from Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 10,000.

The Subramanian Committee authorised the managements of self-financing engineering colleges to conduct an entrance test even after Anna University conducted the common entrance test.

"It only shows that the State government does not want to see the students from poor families entering the engineering colleges. Since the functioning of these two committees draws suspicions, we demand a thorough enquiry. If our demands are not met, we will stage protests in front of government offices in the State," Dr. Ramadoss said.

The PMK founder said the party's women's wing would convene a conference on June 29 to give an ultimatum to the government for closing IMFL outlets in rural areas. The women functionaries would forcibly close down these outlets if the government failed to do so.

On the `tainted ministers' issue, Dr. Ramadoss said the former Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani; the former Minister for Human Resources, Murli Manohar Joshi; the former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Kalyan Singh and the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa; were holding offices though they faced criminal charges. The Minister for Railways, Laloo Prasad Yadav, was being targeted as he belonged to a backward community.

He called for amendments in the Constitution to provide reservations in private sector also.

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