Uttarakhand PG Medical fee issue: Students move HC

Dehradun: The confused scenario about Post Graduate (PG) course fee offered by the private medical colleges has led to students refraining from joining courses, despite having deposited fee.

The Uttarakhand High Court’s (HC) intervention on the issue of the fee has also been sought by Students as the issue has been escalated due to the adamant behaviour of the private medical colleges.

According to Registrar and Controller of Examinations, HNB Uttarakhand Medical University, Vijay Juyal, seven students who had deposited fees on Thursday for admission to PG course of SGRR medical college decided to keep off from taking admission in the college on Friday. According to him a total of 32 students had deposited fees for admission in this college. The registrar further informed that 32 students completed admission procedures in the Himalayan Institute of medical sciences, while another 24 had taken admission in Government Medical College, Haldwani, on Friday.

According to sources, who spoke to the Pioneer, students had refrained from admissions as they were in conflict with the management on the condition of having to submit an affidavit.163 PG seats were allocated in the clinical and non-clinical categories by the centralized counselling committee for NEET PG admissions however only 88 students deposited fees on the last date of first round counselling on Thursday.

High drama ensued on Thursday when despite court directives private medical colleges continued to demand increased fees. This was also being done overlooking the state government directions to these colleges to give admissions based on the earlier year’s fees structure.

The fee issue is still pending in the HC also which too had given a similar instruction of continuing last years fee. The stick in the mud attitude of management pushed the Fees Fixation Committee -formed on the order of Supreme Court (SC) -to intervene.

In an April 16 meeting to be held this committee plans to pass severe strictures against private medical colleges on the issue of fees.

Notices were also issued by the Medical Education department to these colleges leading to a change of mind by them on fee issues.The whole flux led to the student either not depositing course fee or abstaining from joining, after depositing it.

At present, a fee of Rs 5,06,697 has been fixed for non-clinical branches in private medical colleges while a fee of Rs 7,88,835 has been decided for the clinical streams.

“These colleges are demanding fees which in excess of Rs 25 lakh per year which are too much for us to pay. A 10 to 15 percent increase is acceptable but an increase of 300 percent is outrageous,’’ a student told Tribune.