Nine private medical colleges under scanner for charging money for excessive caution | Bombay News

Mumbai: The Medical Education Commissioner has ordered a probe into allegations of excessive deposit being charged by nine private medical colleges across the state. The probe will be conducted by two-member committees appointed from five neighboring government medical colleges.

The survey will cover private medical colleges in Navi Mumbai, Palghar, Karjat and other areas, and the commission is expected to report its findings within eight days.

The directive follows a complaint by Kalpesh Yadav, joint secretary of Yuva Sena (UBT), Maharashtra, who raised concerns over colleges demanding excessive amounts under the guise of security deposit, which are not reflected in the documents officials. Yadav’s complaint, filed with the Fees Regulatory Authority (FRA), highlighted that private medical colleges are charging students thousands of rupees for admissions under the Institutional Quota (IQ), an amount which is not disclosed in official documents or in faculty bank accounts.

The letter further highlights irregularities related to developmental fees at several private institutions, claiming that colleges do not account for these fees in accordance with state regulations. “Universities are cheating the government by not publishing this money in any official account,” Yadav said.

The complaint also highlighted problems with the admissions process at IQ, where around 15% of seats at private colleges are reserved. Yadav noted that the FRA predetermines the rates for these seats, which are published on college websites. However, the complaint alleged that colleges rejected eligible students who met the quota admissions criteria, citing various reasons, and instead selected certain applicants to serve their interests.

The inquiry order, issued by Rajeev Nivatkar, commissioner of medical education, on October 16, charged the deans of five government medical colleges, including Grant Government Medical College in Mumbai, BJ Government Medical College in Pune , Dr Vaishampayan Memorial Government Medical College, Solapur, Miraj Government Medical College and Vilasrao Deshmukh Government Medical College, Latur, to investigate the alleged malpractice.