The Hindu : Kerala News : Self-financing colleges: `Bill will not solve issue'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jul 05, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Self-financing colleges: `Bill will not solve issue'

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JULY 4. The former Additional Chief Secretary, T.N. Jayachandran, today described the Kerala Self-Financing Colleges Bill as unnecessary, improper, inopportune, impotent and not well-intentioned.

In a statement, he said that the Bill would not solve any issue, but possibly complicate matters further.

Mr. Jayachandran said that if the Government differed with the Supreme Court, it should have brought an Ordinance before taking steps for admissions and fixing fees in accordance with the court verdict. It should not have complicated matters by getting the committee's recommendations and inviting opposition from the private managements and sparking off "illogical" agitations by students. It was improper for the Government to say in the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill that it had brought the legislation because it was threatened by the various modes of agitations.

The Government was doing a balancing act between the demands of the managements and students.

The legislation would be impotent in satisfying both. The Government's hidden agenda was to open the gates for corruption by the managements.

He wondered how caution deposit could be termed as fee in the Bill. Did the Government propose any restriction on the amount that could be collected as caution deposit? he asked.

Mr. Jayachandran urged the Governor not to give assent to the Bill when passed by the House, but to refer it to the President for consideration.

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