Fee exemption

Chief Minister Manohar Joshi has cleared the exemption of tuition fees for secondary school teachers' children undergoing professional educ...

Chief Minister Manohar Joshi has cleared the exemption of tuition fees for secondary school teachers’ children undergoing professional education. This move, initiated for the welfare of teachers, is the result of a longstanding demand for many years, put forward on every Teachers’ Days.

I am a school teacher, and my son, a Third Year student of Engineering at the Konkan Education Society Engg College (KES Engg), Pen, affiliated to Mumbai University, has already paid tuition fees, despite this directive, for two academic years. He has now been compelled to pay the fees for his third year, beginning July 97.I have submitted all the requisite documents along with the relevant form obtained from the Mumbai University, but to no avail. I have met the college authorities twice, and sent them one reminder. The college has not responded to my legitimate plea for the refund of my son’s tuition fees reportedly for “want of orders from higher authorities”.

I have found out that the NYSS college of Engg, affiliated to Mumbai University, has displayed on its notice board a list of students who have been exempted from paying fees for the third year. Will the authorities take necessary steps to redress my problem at the earliest?Shanta VarkeyFatima High School,Ambarnath (W)-421 501Tardy IDBIInterest warrants under term deposit schemes by financial institutions are generally sent by post-dated cheques for the full term of the deposit, or at least for a full year in advance.The IDBI brought out several Flexibond schemes in 1996. Even under the Retirement Scheme, which is a monthly interest scheme, interest warrants are being sent at IDBI’s own convenience, sometimes every month, or not for two to three months at a stretch.

It is difficult to keep track of these payments and the IDBI and its Registrar take no heed of complaints regarding non-receipt of interest warrants.When institutions like UTI and ICICI send post-dated cheques for the entire year for their five-year or longer schemes, one is at a loss to understand why IDBI should be so erratic in making payment. I have not received my interest for the five months from August to December 1996 till date, despite several letters to the IDBI and its Registrars (Folio 02880253 No 229181).A. S. VedanarayananA-1002 Indian Oil Nagar,Andheri (W),Mumbai-400 053Excessive callsI own a telephone (No 564 1244). All the members of my family my wife, my daughter and I go out to work at 8.30 a.m. and return at 6.30 p.m. There is no one at home for ten hours of the day. Despite this, I have been getting telephone bills with astronomical figures (i.e. 1,200 calls for two months, an average of 20 calls per day) for the past four years.I have brought this to the notice of all the officers of MTNL at Mulund and Cherai in Thane, several times, but in vain. When will MTNL take note of my complaint and refund me the money taken for the excess calls which I have paid for during the above-mentioned period?All that is needed is to verify the accuracy of the meter registering the calls. Is the meter running fast, or is a parallel line being given to a third party? Will the MTNL please do the needful?C. N. NarayananD-10, Anjali,90 Ft D. P. Road,Mulund (E),Mumbai-400 081