Private vet colleges’ fee hike: Haryana ACS orders inquiry amid differing stances

In a latest spin, Ankur Gupta, when posted as ACS (animal husbandry), appointed retired IAS officer OP Langayan on December 23, 2021, to conduct preliminary inquiry against three officials of directorate of animal husbandry who had recommended fee hike

Nearly three years after a committee set up by the Haryana government recommended hike in tuition fee of private veterinary colleges, three additional chief secretary (ACS)-rank officers of the animal husbandry department have taken as many divergent positions on the new fee structure, according to official documents.

Preliminary has been ordered on two complaints of Dr Sandeep Kumar Gupta, a senior scientist of Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (LUVAS), Hisar. (Image for representational purpose (Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences website))

Initially in his October-22 order in 2019, the then ACS (animal husbandry and dairying department) Sunil K Gulati had refused to agree with recommendations of the three-member panel that director general, animal husbandry, had set up on March 22, 2019, to review the fee structure.

Later, Raja Sekhar Vundru, who is now an ACS-rank officer, dealt with the issue while posted as principal secretary (animal husbandry). Vundru, in a seven-page order on December 16, 2020, upheld the fee structure that the committee had recommended on July 29, 2019.

And now, in a latest spin, Ankur Gupta when posted as ACS (animal husbandry) appointed retired IAS officer OP Langayan on December 23, 2021, to conduct preliminary inquiry against three officials of directorate of animal husbandry who had recommended fee hike. ACS Gupta’s order says that the preliminary has been ordered on two complaints of Dr Sandeep Kumar Gupta, a senior scientist of Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (LUVAS), Hisar.

“I have received the government’s order to hold inquiry into the fee hike issue in question. Very shortly, I am going to issue the notices,” said Langayan, IAS (retd), when contacted.

Contentious committee

The state government had received a request in February 2019 to review the fee structure. A three-member committee was set up on March 22 to review the fee structure of private unaided colleges offering bachelor of veterinary sciences and animal husbandry degrees.

According to a March-22 order of director general (animal husbandry and dairying), the state government had directed to review annual fee structure of private colleges offering bachelor of veterinary science and animal husbandry degree programmes. A committee comprising three officers of the directorate — OP Chhikara, joint director (administration), Pardeep Chauhan, credit planning officer, and Kuldeep Singh, account officer — was set up. The panel was asked to review fee structure of degree programme of International Institute of Veterinary Education and Research (IIVR), Bahu Akbarpur, Rohtak/private institutions in the state.

As per the official records, the panel submitted report on July 30, recommending “fee structure of private veterinary college/IIVR is required to be reviewed”.

The tuition fee structure committee recommended for 2019-20 batch of students was ₹3.49 lakh (state quota), ₹5.75 lakh (management quota) and US $88,000 (NRI quota).

Divergent stands

“I have gone through the fee structure of IIVER, Bahu Akbarpur, Rohtak, decided by the state government of Haryana from time to time and the proposed review of the same recommended by the committee, and I do not agree with the recommendations of the committee,” then ACS Sunil K Gulati had stated in his order on October 22, 2019.

His order further stated that the state government must not lose its sight over the previous decision of the committee headed by ACS (animal husbandry) which on December 15, 2016, modified the fee structure and mentioned that “fee structure, if considered necessary, will be reviewed after every two years on the basis of price index prevailing at that time.”

ACS Gulati pointed out that perhaps the present committee did not go into the depth of the matter inadvertently.

After ACS Gulati demitted office, the matter was taken up by Raja Sekhar Vundru, principal secretary (animal husbandry).

According to an order on December 16, 2020, by Vundru, a petition was filed in the high court, seeking direction to Haryana government to increase the annual fee for BVSc and AH courses as approved by the competent authority.

The high court had disposed of the petition and “set aside the order dated 22.10.2019 regarding fixation of fees” and directed Haryana government to “pass a fresh order after hearing the petitioner”.

“After having heard the petitioner ...and after careful considerations of all relevant matters, the petition is accepted. The fee structure as fixed by the department committee dated 29.07.2019... stands upheld...,” ACS Vundru ordered in December 2020.

However, a year later, ACS (animal husbandry) Ankur Gupta on December 23, 2021, issued an order, appointing retired IAS officer OP Langayan to conduct the preliminary inquiry.

“The governor of Haryana is further pleased to appoint dean, college of veterinary sciences, LUVAS, Hisar, as presenting officer in this inquiry,” the order says, directing Langayan-led panel to submit the inquiry report to the government at the earliest.