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The Opposition staged a walkout in State Assembly today after the Speaker disallowed an adjournment motion over the deteriorating standards of engineering colleges.
A notice for the motion was sought to be moved on the issue of a high court directive for closing down self-financing colleges with poor pass percentages.
POLICY STANCE
It also sought to discuss the policy stance on giving permission to opening new colleges in the self-financing sector.
In his reply to the notice, the Education Minister, Mr P.K. Abdu Rabb, said no new courses would be allowed to start in colleges with a pass percentage of 40 per cent or less.
The Minister added that permission to new start new colleges would be accorded only after ensuring that recognition by the AICTE (All-India Council of Technical Education) is in place.
But the opposition alleged that a number of self-financing colleges were running already without AICTE approval.
TEACHING QUALITY
Teaching standards in these institutions left a lot to be desired, the Opposition said.
The Minister replied that implementation of the high court directive to close down some the ‘sub-standard’ colleges might be fraught with unpalatable consequences.
Based on his reply, the speaker refused leave for the motion, triggering the walkout.
The Minister for Civil Supplies, Mr Anoop Jacob, informed the House that necessary steps were being taken to ensure safety of LPG cylinders for domestic use.
The Minister said this while replying to concerns raised by a member over supply of cylinders which have outlived their age.
INSTRUCTIONS ISSUED
District collectors and supply officers have been issued necessary instructions to ensure the safety and security aspects of the cylinders, Mr Jacob said.
There have been recent incidents, mostly reported from Ernakulam, where cylinders in circulation well after their expiry date for use have exploded.
The police have launched a probe to book officials of the concerned marketing company and supplier agencies involved.
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