Student wings of political parties write to Mithibai College, demand fee hike waiver

A day after HT reported that students of Mithibai College in Vile Parle complained of a fee hike amid Covid-19 pandemic, student wings of political parties written

A day after HT reported that students of Mithibai College in Vile Parle complained of a fee hike amid Covid-19 pandemic, student wings of political parties written to authorities demanding waiver of the hike. Meanwhile, the autonomous college run by Shri Vile Parle Kelavani Mandal (SVKM) charitable trust has extended the deadline for payment by six days till July 6.

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Students had also alleged that the institute did not allow students to make payments in instalments despite instructions from the University Grants Commission (UGC) and University of Mumbai (MU).

Akhil Chitre from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has written to the management of SVKM and Mithibai College administration to waive the fee hike and to allow students to pay their fees in instalments. “If the college doesn’t pay heed to our demands, it will have to answer to the wrath of MNS,” said Chitre.

Similarly, Mohammed Salman, president of the south Maharashtra wing of Student Islamic Organisation, has written to the Fee Regulating Authority to take matters into consideration.

In view of the nationwide lockdown to control Covid-19 pandemic, UGC — the apex body governing all educational institutes in the country — had issued a letter on May 27 to all universities and colleges asking them to be sympathetic towards students while asking them to pay tuition and other fees. Subsequently, MU instructed all colleges, including autonomous ones, to not hike fees for the academic year 2020-21 and allow students to pay fees in instalments.

Meanwhile, in a notice published on the website late on Sunday, Rajpal Hande, principal of Mithibai College, informed the students that the deadline to pay fees has been extended till July 6. Despite repeated attempts, neither Hande nor Asoke Basak, the chief executive officer of SVKM, responded to queries.