AFRC completes hearing of all engg colleges

• 651 colleges submit data
• Top institutions want substantial increase in fee

BH Ramakrishna The AFRC (Admissions and Fee Regulation Committee) on Friday completed its exercise on fee fixation for all the professional colleges in the state for the academic year 2013-14. The nine-member panel heard the pleas of all institutions including 651 out of 689 private engineering colleges. About 38 colleges failed to turn up before the deadline ended and sought time for furnishing their data. According to sources, the report of AFRC is expected to be submitted to the government in about six days. Government has to take a final call on the report immediately after getting the report from the committee. If it is submitted by June 21, government should give its view within four days as the first phase counseling of Eamcet will be somewhere between June 20-25, according to Prof. P Jayaprakasha Rao, Chairman of the Council for Higher Education (APSCHE). But sources said, it would be highly impossible for the government to take decision within days of getting the report since fixation of fee structure is linked to reimbursement of fee. Moreover, with the latest ruling of the High Court, staying the GO on online counseling of Category B seats, the administration is now busy preparing an affidavit to be filed before the bench. So, in all likelihood, the first phase counseling will not be held as scheduled, according to a top official. Top sources said that the elite engineering colleges like Srinidhi, Vasavi, CBIT, MGIT, ANITS, Gayatri, Anurag, Mallareddy, Srividyaniketan and Gokaraju Gangaraju etc have sought substantial increase in fee structure as the fee fixed last year was meager. "The running costs have increased many folds and the salary bill has gone up. As we are directed to pay sixth pay commission salaries, it would be very difficult to run the institutions with the present fixation. The hiked diesel costs and power tariff have also become heavy for us" they were learnt to have stated. Colleges like Srinidhi, Vasavi and CBIT have reportedly sought an increase of 30%, it is said. AFRC has reportedly questioned lack of coherence in what they have said and done. It has also learnt to have asked why AICTE norms on salaries, infrastructure were not followed. AFRC fixed a fee ranging from 70,000- 1.05 lakh to all these top colleges and Rs 58,000 for next grade colleges. All other institutions were given equal fee of Rs. 35,000/. While fixing the fee structure for the next year, the panel is likely to take the Task Force reports on infrastructure and other returns of institutions.