Engineering college refuses to refund fees

June 28: An engineering college collected Rs 58 lakh from students who took admission under the fee reimbursement scheme but refused to refund it. The Syed Hashim College of Science and Technology at Pragnapur in Medak district had collected Rs 58,46,600 from 220 students who joined under the BC-E category.

The students paid the fee after getting an assurance from the management that it will be refunded after the government released the amount under the fee reimbursement scheme. The students alleged that the college forcibly took the money claiming that the government had delayed the payment of fee under the scheme.

“They barred us from attending theory classes and practicals and forced us to pay the fee,” a student alleged. The government had released the funds in three instalments and the total amount was paid in the first week of June. The students alleged that the management refused to refund the fee to students of the first, second and third year stating that it will adjust the amount next year. “Where is the need to adjust the amount next year when the government will reimburse the fee,” another student alleged. Sources alleged that the college did not refund the fee of 54 students who completed the course in April. The college had claimed Rs 11,88,000 from the government for the purpose.

The college management, however, said the delay was caused due to the summer vacation. “We received the amount from the government late and that too in instalments. Since we cannot reimburse the fee to the students in instalments, we will reimburse it by July 7,” Mr Ahmed Bukhari, secretary of the college, said.