Chennai: The Directorate of Technical Education (DOTE) has deployed 20 inspection teams to engineering colleges accused of collecting excess fees from students admitted under govt quota, after receiving more than 500 complaints in the past four months.The teams will probe the complaints, examine college records and submit their findings to the state govt.The complaints, received through the Chief Minister’s Special Cell, allege that several colleges collected fees under various heads, including special fees, sports fees and placement-training charges.Some colleges have also allegedly been collecting ₹25,000 per semester from students admitted under the 7.5% special reservation, despite the state govt reimbursing the full fee for students admitted under the quota.In the past four months, the CM cell received more than 500 complaints against engineering colleges, and it forwarded them to Anna University. The complaints also include allegations of capitation fee demands for management-quota seats, delays in issuing certificates, and problems related to examinations. Anna University resolved some cases by directing colleges to refund excess amounts and issue certificates. However, some institutions have been reluctant to comply, sources said.“We are viewing the excess-fee complaints very seriously. DOTE has formed 20 inspection teams comprising officials from the directorate and university professors to inspect the colleges. Action will be taken based on their reports,” higher education secretary Dheeraj Kumar said.The fee for govt-quota seats is ₹50,000 for non-accredited courses and ₹55,000 for accredited courses. The fee structure was fixed nine years ago and has not been revised since. Colleges say the prescribed fee is too low to provide quality engineering education, and that they are forced to collect additional amounts to meet salary and other operational expenses.Professors, however, said some colleges demanded extra fees for convocation certificates, exorbitant bus fees, and examination fees. Anna University charges ₹150 per paper for semester exams, whereas some autonomous colleges collect up to ₹1,500 per paper, a professor said.
