HYDERABAD: Rocked by massive protests on its campus that forced the management to suspend classes for a week, Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology (CBIT) on Thursday issued a white paper detailing its stand on the fee enhancement issue.The college stated that it was within its legal rights to hike the fee from `1.13 lakh to `2 lakh and also take an undertaking from the students to this effect.In the statement, the college also expressed regret that in spite of specific instructions to the principal and examination department to collect affidavits before issuing admission slips to students for both 2016 and 2017 batches, it was not done until recently.
While the college clarified that the fee hike would not impact the students availing the government scheme, i.e. SC/ST/Minorities and BC and EBC below 10,000 rank, it reiterated that the students admitted under the Category B or the management quota, would have to pay the revised fee but a period of four months would be given to them to pay the amount.Earlier in the day, heads of the department of different branches also convened a meeting with the parents, during which they alleged that they were being convinced to pay up the differential amount of `85,000.
While the parents asserted that they would not pay a rupee more than what was prescribed at the time of admission, they also argued in unison that the management was violating the agreement and increasing the fee in the middle of the academic term was unfair.Ravindra Reddy, the principal, who participated in the meeting with parents whose wards study in mechanical engineering, tried to present the white paper on fee enhancement through power point presentation.
However, he could not proceed as parents protested and asked for the dramatic presentation to be stopped.
“We demand that the college abide by the agreed fees of `1.13 lakh which was fixed at the time of admission. Enhancing the fee in the name of High Court permission is a mischief and cheating. It’s against TAFRC rules,” said Tejasri Krishna, a protesting parent.Telangana Parents Association, president, Nagati Narayana, backed the parents and said that they will not fall prey to the management’s tactics.
However, if the college management doesn’t back off, parents too would be left with no other option than staging protests along with the students. “The increased fee will put a heavy financial burden on both parents and the government, which reimburses the fee.” “We urge the parents not to pay the enhanced fee. The management should withdraw the arbitrary decision and resume the classes immediately,” Nagati Narayana added.