Chhattisgarh puts up brave front in face of SC order

The order has not only driven the government into a crisis, it has left the future of nearly 15,000 students uncertain. ‘‘We are at a point of no return,’’ said Alka Verma, a student at MATs university.

Yet maintaining a brave face, the state government this evening said there was no cause for immediate concern. ‘‘We have asked our Advocate-General to get the Supreme Court’s orders and advise the government on the course of action. We are committed to protect the future of the students,’’ said Minister for Higher Education Ajay Chandrakar.

Chief Minister Raman Singh, in Bihar for campaigning, spoke to the minister asking him to examine the options. ‘‘It’s the duty of the government to make sure that the students in these institutions don’t suffer,’’ Singh said over phone.

That, however, appears quite tough. Till now, even the UGC has not framed the norms for the private universities and if the state government makes another attempt to find short-cuts, its problems are likely to be compounded. Only recently, UGC teams that inspected these universities had detected deficencies. It had also sent notices to the state government and the defiant universities asking them to furnish details.

Around half-a-dozen universities have suitable infrastructure or have appointed teaching staff. Few have vice-chancellors, teaching facilties, libraries or administrative staff.

Some universities claimed to have fulfilled the mandatory conditions laid down by the state government — depositing Rs 2 crore and buying at least 15 acres of land. For example, Sri Rawatpura Sarkar International University — that has around 2,000 students in various courses — has made an investment of Rs 15-20 crore.

There are others like MATs university — that runs a dozen under-graduate and post-graduate courses. The staff is well-trained and the campus is air-conditioned. ‘‘We have been providing quality education and we fulfill all norms,’’ said Chander Shekhar, manager (Facilities and Operations).

Most universities claimed that it was the state’s responsibility to protect them. Of the 102 universities, only 37 were granted recognition by the state less than six months back.