Probe sought into sanction for professional colleges

By Our Staff Reporter

PONDICHERRY, APRIL 3. A meeting of office-bearers of the Pondicherry based Students Federation of India (SFI) held here on April 1 adopted resolutions calling upon the new government in the Union Territory to constitute a tripartite committee to probe into various alleged irregularities in the sanction of permission to private players during the previous DMK regime to start professional colleges here.

Mr. P. Nalavendhan, secretary of the SFI, said the new ministry headed by Mr. P. Shanmugham should order constitution of the committee for holding the enquiry.

The meeting of the SFI which was addressed by its president Mr. S. Lenindurai, the secretary, Mr. Nalavendhan, the joint secretary, Mr. Sudhakar, and the vice chairperson, Ms. D. Kalai Arasi, among others also called upon the government to take steps to prevent private educational institutions from collecting donations from students joining schools or colleges run by private agencies.

There was already a ban by the court on such collection of donations and violation of the court decision was a serious matter which should be prevented.

The organisation also wanted distribution of cycles free of cost to all students of Adi Dravidar community in the Union Territory.Yet another plea of the SFI was that a separate women`s college in Villianoor should be started from the new academic year and more courses should be opened in the colleges started in Madagadipet and Thavalakuppam villages.

Expressing concern over acute shortage of teachers in government schools, the SFI through another resolution called upon the new ministry to take steps to post teachers to fill vacancies and the ratio of one teacher for 30 students should be maintained in schools.

Tamil should be the medium in primary schools was another plea of the SFI.

Forum's call

Mr. G. R. Ramassamy, general secretary of the Pudhuvai People's Forum, has called upon the new ministry here to order a probe into the style of functioning of officers in the higher bracket during the previous DMK regime so that various `irregularities and violation of statutory norms' could be brought to light.

In a statement here on Monday, Mr. Ramassamy said it was indeed heartening that the new Chief Minister, Mr. P. Shanmugham, had promised a clean, transparent and people-oriented government. This should include steps to relieve the government of the various hindrances and irregularities noticed during the previous regime here.

He recalled how there were plethora of complaints of lack of proper working of certain officials in the past and there were also allegations of indiscriminate sanction of permission to private sources to start professional colleges without ascertaining whether the norms of the apex councils were adhered to or not.

He said the dream of the new Chief Minister could be realised if there was a step to rid the administration of various pitfalls.

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