Cuttack, June 4: The Odisha Private Engineering College Association (Opeca) has urged the state government not to increase the amount of "part fee" during the admission process of self-financed technical colleges this year as this would reduce the number of admissions at these institutions. Part fee is a component of the admission fees, which is collected by the government at the time of counselling by the Odisha Joint Entrance Examination committee.

It is later passed on to the respective colleges in two to three months.

"We have submitted a representation to the chief secretary on Saturday seeking his intervention against the hike in part fee. A similar representation was submitted to the secretary of skill development and technical education on Thursday," Opeca secretary Binod Dash told The Telegraph today.

In 2012, the state government had fixed the part fee at Rs 30,000 for private colleges, but reduced it to Rs 5,500 in the next year.

"Due to such high part fee, many students were unable to pay it even though they were willing to take admission. As a result, the intake of the colleges was affected," Dash said.

However, the state government has decided to collect Rs 25,000 part fees during counselling this year, which will start in the first week of July.In its memorandum to the chief secretary, the Odisha Private Engineering College Association has urged the state government not to increase the part fee amount charged since 2013 to lastyear. "If the state government wishes to experiment, it can do so by increasing the part fee for government colleges," Dash said. In its memorandum, the Opeca secretary demanded that only counselling fees of Rs 450 and university registration fees of Rs 5,000 should be collected from the students at the time of counselling and the part fee can be collected by the colleges at the time of admission.Since the past eight years, more than 60 per cent seats are lying vacant in private engineering colleges in the state. If part admission fee is increased, the situation will worsen, Opeca said.

There are about 90 private engineering colleges in the state, which have an intake capacity of more than 40,000.

"About 30 per cent students from SC and ST categories take admission into various technical colleges and they depend on scholarship for their education. Under such circumstances, how can the SC and ST students pay such high part fee?" Opeca said.

The annual fees for the four-year technical course in the private colleges range from Rs 50,000 to Rs 90,000.

The Opeca regretted that the decision to increase the part fee was taken even as the policy planning body had advised the state government to take a reasonable decision on the matter.