HYDERABAD: Gates of private professional colleges across Telangana remained locked on Monday in protest against the state government’s failure to release pending fee reimbursement dues.
Around 2,000 professional colleges, including engineering, pharmacy, MBA, MCA, B.Ed and nursing institutions, have been closed indefinitely. Members of the Federation of Associations of Telangana Higher Institutions (FATHI) said they were unable to run their institutions due to non-payment of dues and would continue the closure until the government cleared the pending amount.
The state government had promised to release Rs 1,200 crore in dues before Diwali but only Rs 300 crore has been disbursed so far.
On Monday evening, the government initiated talks through Additional Director General (Intelligence) Vijay Kumar, offering to release another rs 300 crore. However, college management refused, demanding 50 per cent of the pending Rs 900 crore, about Rs 500 crore, be released immediately.
As part of the protest, FATHI has planned a series of programmes, including meetings with MLAs and MPs on November 4 to submit representations, a public meeting with one lakh teachers from private colleges on November 8, and a “Chalo Hyderabad” rally to the Secretariat on November 10 or 11.
Many students were seen returning home, unaware of the shutdown. Rohini, a first-year degree student from a private college near RTC Cross Roads, said, “We didn’t know the college had called for a bandh. We came for our internal exams but were told they’re postponed.”
Haritha, a nursing student from a college in Jangaon, added, “Two days ago, our college informed us of a shutdown from Monday, but no reopening date was mentioned by the college management.”
