The Hindu : "No fee hike without consulting medicos"

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 29, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu

"No fee hike without consulting medicos"

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI APRIL 28. With the State Government giving an undertaking that it would not resort to any fee hike in medical colleges without considering medicos' views, the Madras High Court today `advised' the striking students and interns to `get back to their normal routine'.

"In view of the undertaking given by the Additional Advocate-General that the fee hike will come into effect only for the academic year 2003-04, and that any decision regarding the hike will not be taken without meeting the students' association, the students are advised to get back to their normal routine of attending classes and doing their internship by Thursday", Justice Prabha Sridevan said. She passed the order on a petition, filed by the Tamil Nadu Medical Students, CRRI's Senior House Surgeons, Dental and Postgraduate Doctors Association and three others. The students sought to forbear the Government from attempting to evict students from hostels.

The association, which represents all government medical college students, has been on strike since April 23 demanding a hike in revision of internship stipend, a policy decision against starting any private medical/dental college, rollback of the course fee hike for medicos and steps to obtain recognition for undergraduate courses in the Tiruchi and Tuticorin medical colleges and for postgraduate courses in various Government colleges.

Recording R. Muthukumaraswamy's undertaking, the judge said, "the Additional Advocate-General shall advise the Health Secretary and the Director of Medical Education to give audience to the petitioners and hear their demands, as early as possible, preferably within a week. The decision can be taken only after the petitioners' views are considered.

"We feel that it is in the interest of the whole State that the Health Secretary and the Director of Medical Education give at least a hearing to the petitioners, so that some decision mutually acceptable, will be arrived at", Mrs. Justice Prabha Sridevan added. She then posted the main petition to June 16 for further hearing.

In its petition, the association pointed out the past practice of closing hostels whenever strikes took place, and said there were about 5,500 hostellers in the 12 government medical colleges. It prayed for an injunction restraining the government agencies from evicting them, contrary to the rules established under the law, until they finished their course.

`Struggle will continue'

Despite the court order, a section of the agitating students said it would continue with the struggle until the Government called for talks.

The general secretary of the All-India Medicos Federation, G.R.Ravindranath, said the students could hold demonstrations but only in the evenings. They also planned a conference with MLAs of all political parties to educate them on their demands, which include asking the Government to withdraw its proposal for more private medical colleges, and cancellation of 150 seats reserved for non-resident Indians. He said students were ready for talks if the Government initiated them.

Earlier today, the students staged a demonstration outside the Memorial Hall in Chennai and continued conducting parallel out-patient centres in hospitals throughout the State.

The Tamil Nadu Medical and Dental students association vice-president, D. Karal, said the students would withdraw the strike if the Government called for talks and met their demands before Thursday, but would continue with their protests till then.

The Communist Party of India, in a statement, extended its support to the students and asked the Government to call for talks immediately.

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