Bhubaneswar, Jan. 12: Action against engineering and technical colleges that have allegedly encroached on government land is likely to be delayed because of the confusion over the names of these colleges.

The names in the list provided by the revenue department do not match the names available in the record of the technical education department.

The department of technical education, which has been asked to take action against these erring institutes, is baffled by the list provided by the revenue department. It mentions the name of one Ekalabya Career Academy Kusumati. However the records available with the technical education department mentions one Ekalabya College of Technology and Science, Kusumati, Jatni.

A similar confusion pertains to institutions named as Maharaja Technical Engineering College, Premier College Bisiapada, MIMTS College Pitapali, MITS Engineering College, Janla, Gandhi Institute of Technology Gramadiha, GIET, and Vigyan Bharati Charitable Trust. The technical education department is supposed to write to the All-India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) for cancellation of the permission given to these institutes.

It has been found that about 15 engineering and professional institutions, located in Bhubaneswar, Jatni and Balianta tehsils, have encroached on 50 acres of government land. A meeting regarding the status of land possessed by such institutes was held by the revenue department in December last year following which the technical education department was asked to take action against the erring institutes. Following the confusion over names, the department has once again approached the revenue department for clarifications on the issue.

These institutions have already been served notices and cases initiated under the Odisha Prevention of Land Encroachment Act, 1972. The revenue department had earlier announced that criminal cases would be filed against engineering colleges that have encroached on government land to set up or expand their campuses.

'We have planned to approach the All-India Council for Technical Education seeking cancellation of affiliation of such colleges. However, before that, these confusions have to be cleared,' said a senior official of the department.