Telangana Congress Slams Tirupati Rao Committee

In the wake of the recent Tirupati Rao Committee report recommending that annual fee hikes be allowed in private unaided educational institutions in the state, MLC Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy alleged that such institutes were robbing the people indiscriminately under the guise of education, and did not deserve any lenience.

Speaking to the media on Saturday, Ponguleti said that the state had appointed the Tirupati Rao Committee after the Congress had put a high amount of pressure on it about the "looting" being carried out by the private educational institutions, but the committee was now actually trying to legitimize the looting instead of reversing it.

With a recommendation that private unaided institutions in the state be allowed to hike their fees by 10% every year instead of reducing the already bloated fees, the Tirupati Rao Committee had made it clear that it had been "managed", he said.

The MLC demanded that the state government file criminal cases against the management boards of educational institutions that had failed to follow the rules, and asked the government to convene an all-party meeting post-haste to discuss all issues pertaining to educational institutions.

Ponguleti also charged the state government of apathy towards the filling of vacant posts in universities, and of dereliction of duty in not providing quality food in hostels.