Centre to check if land details of technical institutes are true

The Centre has initiated a move to verify details of land and buildings of technical institutes submitted at the time of obtaining approval.

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) directed all the engineering colleges and other higher educational institutions, including those offering management programmes, to submit fresh occupancy certificates duly issued by competent district authorities in their locality.

Those institutions operating for more than 30 years have also been asked to submit a “structural stability certificates” to the council. Such institutions are required to obtain this certificate from registered “structural engineers.”

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting on September 7 to ensure that such buildings remain safe for running the institutes from its premises and any restoration work should be immediately taken up to avoid any untoward incident.

The move was initiated by the technical education regulator on reports and complaints against some of the institutions operating from the location and premises other than what was mentioned in their application for getting approval of the AICTE.

“There have been reports and complaints against some of the institutions functioning either from rented buildings or the address (location) other than what they had mentioned in the application submitted to AICTE online. That’s why all institutions have been asked to submit occupancy certificate duly issued by competent authority,” official sources told DH.

The AICTE’s revised process for granting approval to technical programmes stipulates that the applicants must have the land, as required and prescribed, in its lawful possession with clear title in the name of the promoter society, trust or the company established under Section 25 of companies Act 1956, on or before the date of submission of application.

“Occupancy certificates will set the records right. All state governments and Union territory administrations have been requested to deploy competent officials for processing of the applications on a priority basis,” official sources said.

For granting approval to new applications from 2017-18, the council made submission of “occupancy certificate” mandatory for all new applicants revising its rules. 

“The said occupancy certificate must clearly state that the buildings are fully developed and ready in all respects for the intended use considering the total built up area as required to run the program and the divisions and departments for the first year of the course,” they said.
Besides, the council is also geo-tagging the institutes on Google map, they added.