.png?width=1200)
Following complaints about some medical colleges demanding excessive refundable deposit money from MBBS aspirants, the state fee regulator sent show-cause notices to all private medical institutes in the state.
In its letters, sent on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Fee Regulating Authority (FRA) questioned the colleges for allegedly charging higher amounts under the deposit and caution money heads than the Rs 50,000 cap imposed by the authority and denying admission to those who failed to make this payment. The colleges were also reprimanded for forcing the candidates to opt for the hostel and mess services. However, the few colleges that responded to the authorities by the time of going to the press, have refuted these claims.
According to an FRA member, the regulator was alerted about some of the colleges refusing to comply with its recent decision to impose a ceiling limit on all forms of refundable fees charged for health science programmes. When the authority checked the fee structures published on private medical colleges' websites, it found that most of the institutes to be charging beyond the prescribed cap. Hence, the regulator decided to take a suo-moto action.
However, in their responses, the colleges have denied demanding any excess amount for students, with some suggesting that the candidates might have referred to the older fee structures released prior to FRA's decision to cap the deposits. The colleges also claimed that there's no compulsion on availing hostel and mess services while assuring that none of the candidates who were allotted seats in the first round of MBBS admissions were denied entry.
However, some of the candidates asserted that they were indeed asked to pay excessive deposit money and were also asked to pay hostel and mess fees, along with other payments when they reported to their respective institutes. On Tuesday, FPJ had reported that some of the aspirants who got allotment at Terna Medical College at Nerul (Navi Mumbai) were asked to pay Rs 1.7 lakh in the name of hostel deposit and caution money. The college authorities also told them that they will have to compulsorily enrol in the hostel, even if they stayed nearby.
The institute had defended its fee structure to FPJ and also justified the hostel mandate, claiming that it was done to ensure 'ease, safety and comfort' of learners. However, in its response to FRA, the institute said that it's neither forcing students and parents to avail of hostel and other facilities, nor violating the upper limit of caution money. It only 'explained' to the parents that they wouldn't be able to get any accommodation during examination period if they don't book hostel room at the time of admission, reads the response.
The father of a candidate from Vimukta Jati / Nomadic Tribe (VJ/NT) said that another institute near Mumbai, Dr NY Tasgaonkar Institute of Medical Sciences at Karjat (Raigad) said that the college asked them to pay exorbitant fees towards hostel, mess and other facilities, even though his son was planning to seek a more preferred option in the subsequent admission rounds. "The college authorities insisted that we make all the payments right now, even though we may not take admission at the institute. We are unable to pay such a large some of money due to our financial constraints," said the father.
While Vinayak Sabnis, dean of the college, didn't respond to a call and a message by FPJ, in its reply to FRA, the institute said that it hasn't denied admission to any candidate over compulsory hostel facilities, though, it was added, that most of the students opt for dormitories as the college is located in in a rural area.
Dharmendra Mishra, an FRA member said that the authority has introduced a dedicated email fragrievance2024@gmail.com for candidates to lodge grievances against errant colleges. "I will request the stakeholders if they are demanded any extra fees apart from tuition and development fees and Rs 50,000 caution money," he said.
