Bhubaneswar, Dec. 28: The technical education department ordered a probe into the students' allegations against officials of the state-run Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) of indulging in unfair means during examinations.

The students had said that some of the officials were hand in glove with certain private colleges and were involved in dishonest acts such as money collection for fixing supervisors and squads during the examinations in those colleges. This has been going on despite the installation of closed-circuit television cameras. The students, most of them pursuing BTech courses, had also sent their complaints under the banner of the BPUT Students' Union to the chief minister's office.

'The quality of education of such a prestigious institute has deteriorated due to such activities, and it is one major reason behind the decline in demand for engineering seats in the state,'said Piyush Mishra, a BPUT student.

'The officials collect money from private engineering colleges, and they facilitate the wrongdoings. Better performances by these colleges help them attract students. Such unfair practice must be exposed in the larger interest of the student community,' said Suprabhat, another student.

The technical education department directed the BPUT to investigate the allegations and furnish a report.

The department also asked the varsity to ensure transparency in the conduct of examinations, with special emphasis on proper selection of the exam supervisors and squads, said a senior officer of the department.

As a precautionary measure, the department asked the director of examinations to submit a tentative list of supervisors and squads, along with the names of colleges to which they would be deputed. The BPUT registrar will then shuffle the list and forward it to the vice-chancellor, who will rejig it. Accordingly, the squads will be deputed to various colleges, said the letter sent by the department to the varsity.

A BPUT official said an inquiry would be conducted and the report would be handed over to the department for further action.