The Hindu : Decision on college seat-sharing deferred

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 02, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Decision on college seat-sharing deferred

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE April 1. The Cabinet on Tuesday deferred the much-awaited decision on sharing of seats and fixation of fee structure for private professional colleges in the State. It also authorised the Cabinet Sub-Committee to "negotiate" with the managements of private medical, dental, and engineering colleges in the matter.

The Minister for Information, Kagodu Thimmappa, told presspersons here that the Cabinet Sub-Committee, headed by the Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs, D.B.Chandre Gowda, would hold negotiations with private managements within a week.

Mr. Thimmappa said that he was confident that the Government would evolve a consensus seat sharing formula and acceptable fee structure soon.

He said any decision of the Government on the issue would have to stand legal scrutiny and should be within the purview of the verdict of the Supreme Court, which gave free hand to private professional colleges on admission of students.

He said the Cabinet Sub-Committee report would serve as a background for the proposed negotiations with the private managements.

Mr. Thimmappa reiterated the Government's commitment to provide social justice and said it would do everything possible within the legal framework to protect the interests of the poor and meritorious students.

To a question, Mr. Thimmappa denied that private managements had decided to go ahead with admission of students from Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Government fixed May 30 and May 31 as dates for conducting the Common Entrance Test.

Transfer of schools

Mr. Thimmappa said the Cabinet also decided to transfer 32 residential schools run by the Education Department to the Social Welfare Department to provide better emoluments to the staff.

It was decided to merge the Visvesvaraya Vidyut Nigam with the Karnataka Power Corporation and hand over the Mysore Metropole and Krishnarajasagar hotels in Mysore to Jungle Lodges.

It was decided to sanction Rs.4.95 crores to construct an approach road to the Cable Stayed Bridge at Talavaragudde near Hampi and complete the work on the bridge at a cost of Rs.50 lakhs.

It was decided to grant Rs.9 lakhs relief to the contractor who implemented the work for the loss he suffered due to delay in settling claims.

Approval

The Cabinet decided to accord administrative approval to an additional cargo ramp to be constructed at the Old Mangalore Port at a cost of Rs.6 crores.

Mr. Thimmappa said that the Cabinet decided to extend deferred payment of luxury tax facility to Hotel Leela Ventures for three years.

Hotel Leela Ventures, which had constructed a seven-star hotel in Bangalore, would be considered an infrastructure development project and given entry tax exemption for three years.

The Cabinet decided to supersede 110 APMCs as the term of these bodies had expired, and appoint administrators to them. Election to these bodies would be held in six months. He said the decision to postpone election to these bodies was because of drought. It was decided to dissolve the manufacturing unit of Karnataka Pulp Wood.

The Cabinet also decided to extend property tax and licence fee concession to the Palm Oil Industry at Heggadadevanakote in Mysore District by another two years.

The move is to rejuvenate the Government unit and to give a boost to the palm oil industry.

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