‘Several colleges made false claims’

Deficiencies apart, several engineering college have also furnished false affidavits to the Supreme Court and hid facts from the task force inspection teams, observed the report of the State Level Task Force Committee on Engineering Colleges.

The report said 68 colleges furnished affidavits to the Supreme Court on the sixth pay scales for teaching staff and ninth PRC scales for non-teaching staff but only 12 colleges have actually implemented the scales. It suggested that the remaining 56 colleges need to be dealt with sternly and the matter be brought before the Supreme Court to ensue that fee revision be reversed for these colleges immediately.

Similarly, 17 colleges filed affidavits before the High Court that they were implementing 1996 pay scales while only six were actually implementing. Criminal cases should be filed against such colleges apart from informing the High Court, the report observed.

The committee said that many colleges didn’t produce the required documents on the actual salary being paid to the faculty and all such colleges should be directed to transfer the salary to the individual bank accounts of employees.

Tough action recommended The report also observed that the most colleges were reluctant to provide audited financial statements so the High Court orders could not be implemented totally. Many colleges have not paid arrears of pay scales to the faculty as they did not receive fee reimbursement from the government, the committee said and recommended that the government take necessary steps to release fee reimbursement on time so that colleges can pay salaries on time.

The committee suggested that the government direct the universities concerned not to renew affiliation to the erring colleges. Unlike the general belief that colleges had created good labs and suffering for want of qualified faculty, the report said that 565 colleges has deficiencies in laboratories, 393 had deficiency in computer terminals, 449 had deficiencies in laboratory area and 319 in built-up area. Only 10 colleges didn’t have the required land.