HYDERABAD: The Consortium of Engineering and Professional Colleges Managements Association has threatened to close down colleges if the government doesn't pay fee reimbursement dues to the tune of Rs. 4,250 crore by February 15.

“We will be forced to collect the same from students if the government fails to release funds,” said the consortium chairman, N. Ramesh and secretary general K.V.K. Rao here on Sunday. They claimed that government had given an undertaking to the Supreme Court that pending dues under fee reimbursement scheme would be released by January 29 and failed to honour it.

“A few days ago, it released a G.O. releasing Rs. 300 crore just to escape the Supreme Court deadline, but that money is yet to reach the colleges.” They said they would lay siege to the Assembly with the help of students if the money was not released.

Protest plan

As a prelude, dharnas would be staged all the collectorates in the State. Alleging that the funds meant for students were being diverted to Rachabanda and contractors, Mr. Ramesh said they were being blackmailed in the name of grading and infrastructure deficiencies whenever they pressured the government for funds release. “Don't start schemes if you can't provide funds,” they advised.

Mr. Rao and Mr. Ramesh said they were not able to pay salaries to the staff. Teachers had threatened to go on strike and the future of lakh of children would be in jeopardy if the government didn't respond. Nine months had passed since the academic year had begun, but the government was not concerned about colleges and students.

Tuition fee hike urged

The consortium also demanded that tuition fee be hiked to Rs. 45,000 as they could not run colleges with the present fee. They strongly opposed AICTE's new norms that allowed colleges to get additional seats every year arguing that it would only benefit a few colleges.

“We demand the government not to allow new engineering colleges or increase the intake.” The AICTE, they said, was acting like a commercial organisation collecting huge fees for every activity and said a delegation would soon meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and HRD Minister Kapil Sibal to represent the issue.

They also demanded abolition of weightage system alleging that it was leading to inordinate delay in announcement of EAMCET results . “The government should ensure that classes should start by July 1 every year like in other States,” they said.