MGU probe into SF college sanction

Kochi: The Mahatma Gandhi University has appointed a one-member syndicate commission to inquire into the sanction given to a self-financing arts and science college which allegedly did not meet the infrastructure requirements stipulated by the UGC and the university.

The university has received a legal notice on the sanction given to the Sree Narayana Arts & Science College, Kedamangalam, North Paravur, Ernakulam district, managed by SNDP Union, North Paravur.

It is alleged that it does not have five acres of land as stipulated by the UGC to set up the college. The college was included in this year's Centralised Allotment Process (CAP) for UG courses by MG University. Following this, social activist C.S. Abhilash, a native of North Paravur, sent a legal notice to the MG University.

The reply sent by the university to the activist says that syndicate member Prof Tomichan Joseph has been appointed as a one-man commission to probe the complaint in this regard submitted by Abhilash earlier. "I sent the lawyer notice on April 27 this year. The college has only 2.58 acres in its possession while the UGC stipulates ownership and possession of five acres of undisputed land by the college. The MGU statute stipulates eight hectares. I wonder how the authorities can flout such rules," said Abhilash.

"Pursuant to a complaint by Mr. Binu Narayany, Narayana Mandiram, Kedamangalam,  North Paravur, on 18.04.2013 to the Vice Chancellor, M.G.University  regarding statutory violation in granting affiliation to the college, Prof. B.Suseelan, member-syndicate, was appointed by the university  as inquiry commission. The commission in his report dated 17.03.2014 reported that the college had only 02.58 acres of land under its ownership. But he chose to overlook that with other illegal contentions and recommended affiliation to the college," he said.

Former assistant registrar of Kerala University and RTI activist Salim Kalathil said that several SF colleges which did not meet UGC stipulations were given affiliation by MG University. "The UGC never mandates a syndicate member to conduct such inspections. In fact, a four-member expert committee should make the inspection and it should have an engineer from PWD/CPWD or from the university not below the rank of an executive engineer, as per UGC norms ,said Mr Salim Kalathil.