AUT defends refusal of affiliation to Alagiri's college

Updated on: Wednesday, September 21, 2011

The Anna University of Technology has informed the Madras High Court Bench here that there was no political vendetta in its refusal to give affiliation to an engineering college set up by an educational trust in which Union Minister M K Alagiri is one of the trustees.

AUT had rightly rejected affiliation to the college. The petitioner's averments that this respondent had acted as political agent of the ruling party due to political vendetta was denied, AUT, Madurai, Registrar E B Perumal Pillai said in a counter-affidavit on the petition filed by the college.

The Dhaya Engineering College set up by the M.K.Alagiri Educational Trust at Sivarakottai near here in its petition has challenged the AUT order rejecting affiliation to it for the current academic year 2011-12.

The AUT Registrar said the university had in July last refused affiliation on the ground of certian deficiencies including in terms of books and location of cafeteria. The college then claimed the defects had been rectified and filed a petition in the high court.

Pursuant to the disposal of the petition, AUT formed a new team to inspect the college, but the authorities did not permit the team to make a comprehensive inspection. Hence it gave a report stating that it was not in a position either to recommend or not to recommend grant of affiliation.

Also when the AUT approached the District Collector as per a court direction on allegation by a local farmers association that irrigation channels had been destroyed for construction of the college building, it was informed the college had not obtained plan approval from the Director of Town and Country Planning, the counter said.

The Collector also said the college neither obtained his consent for conversion of wet land to construct the college building nor clearance required as per relevant law.

The AUT said the college also did not submit various documents such as certificates for land conversion, electrical safety, structural safety of the building and master timetable for all courses with the classroom arrangements.

The counter said the issue had been taken to the notice of All India Council for Technical education which had granted approval to the college.

The case has been posted for hearing on September 30.

AUT defends refusal of affiliation to Alagiri's college

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