A bill that seeks to make private engineering colleges in Bengal accountable for the quality of education they provide was passed in the Assembly on Wednesday.

Higher education minister Sudarshan Ray Chowdhury, who tabled the West Bengal University of Technology Amendment Bill, said each of the 55-odd private engineering colleges in the state would henceforth be under the scanner.

Teams from the West Bengal Council for Higher Education will inspect these colleges and recommend appropriate measures. “I am aware of complaints about private engineering colleges lacking proper infrastructure and other facilities,” the minister said.

Over 20,000 students study in private engineering colleges, most of which have inadequate infrastructure and provide no placements despite promising the earth at the time of admission. Complaints about students being duped are piling up against some of these colleges.

“I have heard about some colleges being so small that they look like canteens. But the government is not bothered and has been giving affiliation to such colleges,” said Trinamul Congress MLA Saugata Roy.

Although Ray Chowdhury promised to “ensure regular monitoring and initiate remedial measures”, he did not spell out the steps that would be taken against colleges that do not conform to the standards fixed by the higher education council.

But sources said the government could derecognise certain courses or direct colleges to reduce students.

Private engineering colleges started sprouting everywhere in the late nineties, with even chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee hailing it as a sign of growth. But he now seems to be convinced that it was too much of a good thing. “The condition of some of the private engineering colleges is not satisfactory,” the chief minister said at a meeting of the Democratic Youth Federation of India a few months ago.

Industry minister Nirupam Sen echoed him at a programme of the Students’ Federation of India last month, terming infrastructure in a section of colleges “poor”.

All state-approved private engineering colleges are affiliated to the West Bengal University of Technology. An official said the university would remain in control, “but the higher education council will maintain extra vigil in the interest of the students”.

Private engineering colleges charge each student at least Rs 43,000 as annual fees. Discontent sets in the moment students realise that employment is far from guaranteed.

“My son completed his engineering in IT from a WBUT-affiliated college in Salt Lake this year. I spent over Rs 2 lakh on his education, but he has yet to be called for placement. Most of his batchmates, too, are without jobs,” a disgruntled father said.

According to him, most private engineering colleges do not have tie-ups with companies that are potential recruiters. Inadequate infrastructure, substandard faculty and irregular classes are some of the other problems, he said.

The Association of Professional Academic Institutions, an organisation of private engineering colleges, declined comment on the new bill.

“All allegations against us are not true…There are some problems in some colleges, but the private engineering colleges are overall well-equipped to ensure proper education,” said the head of one of the institutions.