Polytechnic classes get nod in tech colleges

Justice G. Rohini of the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Monday vacated the stay orders issued earlier directing the government not to allow private engineering colleges to run polytechnic courses as a second shift.
The judge was dealing with a petition filed by the government asking the court to vacate the stay orders.
Arguing the case, Mr A. Sudershan Reddy, additional advocate-general said that the interim orders caused immense loss to the students intending to join polytechnic. He told the court that the need of the industry for diploma holders cannot be jeopardised.
Mr Reddy refuted the contentions of the petitioners’ association that permission to start second shift of polytechnic in existing engineering colleges would lead to closure of standalone private polytechnic. He said this was a mere apprehension which was far from the truth.
Elsewhere, the AP Private Medical and Dental College Managements Association on Monday filed a writ appeal against the stay orders of the High Court pertaining to the increase in management quota in ‘B’ category seats of medicine.

Land acquisition plea dismissed

The Andhra Pradesh High Court dismissed a writ appeal filed against the land acquisition process for constructing the Polavaram irrigation project.
The court made it clear that the process of consultation to be undertaken in the case of land acquisition in tribal areas was not a rigid one. This verdict is believed to facilitate the government to construct the project.
Dismissing a writ appeal filed by Kunjam Suranna Dora and nine others of Pudipalli village in Devipatnam mandal of East Godavari, a division bench comprising Justice T. Meena Kumari and Justice P.V. Sanjay Kumar observed that the consent of the gram panchayat and the villagers as per rules was obtained in this case.
The bench held that the petitioners do not have locus standi to question the government proceedings. The bench held that the process of consultation was done in accordance with the law in this case for acquiring lands from them for construction of the project.