Hyderabad: Affiliated colleges said they were in a tight spot as there were not enough doctorates in engineering available for recruitment.

“The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) knows this and is not insisting on the cadre ratio. They are only looking at the faculty-student ratio and other infrastructure,” a member of Telangana Private Engineering Colleges Association said.

“The AICTE itself is not insisting on PhD faculty but JNTU is asking us to follow it at any cost," he said. Many colleges have applied for closure in the last two years.