Rajya Sabha member V. Vijaya Sai Reddy has written to the All India Council for Technical Education Chairman Anil D. Sahasrabudhe requesting him to take stringent action against GITAM Deemed to be University, Visakhapatnam, for allegedly flouting AICTE and University Grants Commission (UGC) norms.
He stated in the letter that the GITAM Deemed to be University which was given Category-1 autonomy by the UGC, got certain buildings of engineering branches constructed on land that belonged to the government.
The MP alleged that certain part of the land with the deemed varsity was under disputed ownership, which is in violation of Clause 7.7 of AICTE approval process and relevant regulations of the UGC.
The land use certificate and building approvals were obtained from the competent authorities, but through manipulation, he alleged.
An inquiry by the State government revealed that the GITAM Deemed to be University encroached 40.51 acres. The said land was not alienated to the university nor was there a lease agreement between the parties, he claimed.
Intake
Besides, the private university was offering technical courses without adhering to standards specified by the AICTE, he said. The intake in various branches of engineering had been dramatically increased over the years by adding new sections/divisions. For instance, as per AICTE website, the intake of B.Tech (CSE) stood at 1,140 for 2019-20, he alleged.
Mr. Reddy suggested that the AICTE constitute a committee to find out whether GITAM Deemed to be University complied with its norms and possessed disputed land and what processes it followed for increasing the intake of students in different courses.
