The State government will take “appropriate action” on the direction of the High Court of Karnataka to fix fee structure for engineering courses in private unaided colleges for the academic year 2014-15 within four weeks, a top official said on Wednesday.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, a senior official from the Department of Higher Education said that they were yet to get a copy of the Tuesday’s High Court order. 

“Once we get the order copy, we will study it and take appropriate action. The higherups have been apprised of the court’s direction,” the official said.

The court has directed the government to consider proposals of the private colleges in accordance with Sections 6 and 7 of the Karnataka Professional Educational Institute (Regulation of Admission and Determination of Fees) Act, 2006, which mandates to constitute a fee-fixation committee to regulate the fee structure. 

The government in December 2013 kept the Act in abeyance after almost deciding to implement it from 2014-15. The chairman of the fee-fixation committee, Justice Ajit J Gunjal remitted the office after the government kept the Act in abeyance. 

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Reacting to the court direction, M K Panduranga Setty, Secretary, Karnataka Unaided Private Engineering Colleges' Association (KUPECA)  said:  “The colleges under the association had already sent their fee requirements to the committee that was headed by Justice Gunjal. Now it is in the hands of the government to reconstitute the committee by either re-appointing Justice Gunjal or to appoint a new chairperson. The ball is now in the government’s court and we can only wait and watch.”

Over a dozen private unaided engineering colleges had filed a petition contending that as per the AICTE norms,they will incur losses of crores of rupees if they agree to the government’s consensual agreement as it makes it difficult for them to run the institutes. They contended that the government should fix the fees when the Act is kept in abeyance.