Silvester D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (SP)

Kundapur, Dec 28: A poor student's future hangs in the balance after he was denied hall ticket for failure to pay outstanding college fee of Rs 3,500 due to financial problems.

Moodlakatte Institute of Technology here denied issuance of hall ticket to its student who was to appear for the semester examination. The college insisted on payment of Rs 3,500 due to it by the student before it could issue hall ticket to him.

Ajay D Naik from Kumta is the final year student of electronics and communications department of this college. He was to appear for an examination for clearing a pending subject pertaining to sixth semester on Saturday December 27. When Ajay came to the college to appear for the examination, he was denied the hall ticket. His repeated requests fell on deaf ears, as the head of the managing committee said he can collect the hall ticket only after clearing the amount due as above. He kept trying, but to no avail, and the examination came to an end soon without him.

The college management argues that Ajay had kept Rs 3,500 pending towards mess bill and other fees of the college. Ajay had,a few days back, handed over a letter requesting the principal to allow him to appear for the examination, citing financial problems and promising to clear the dues at the earliest. The principal had handed over this letter to the college unit handling examination matters.

Ajay was under the impression that he would be allowed to appear for the examination, but the shocking development at the college after he reached there disheartened him. The concerned bluntly told him that he cannot appear for the examination as he had arrears to be paid to the college. Many of his friends came to the rescue of Ajay at this trying moment.

The media persons, immediately after coming to know that a student was being barred from appearing for the examination, went to the college, where a large number of students from electronics and communications department met them at the gate and expressed their anger at the college management. All of them were angry at the fact that a student's future was being compromised for a small amount, although every student spends thousands of rupees for his engineering education. They wanted to know whether the college entertains the needs of only those who are rich and mighty.

'Although every student gets a mess bill of around Rs 2,000 each month, quality of food leaves much to be desired. Hostel facilities are poor and of sub-standard quality. Although several cell phones and laptops were stolen from the hostel premises, the management of the college has failed to take these incidents seriously and take preventive measures. Even in cases where the principal is agreeable to yield to the requests of students, office superintendent, Pradeep, is always out to snatch away facilities and comforts of students,' these students rued.

Both college superintendent and management stress that they were in order in denying hall ticket to Ajay. They say they had reminded the student repeatedly to clear his bill and that as per college rules, he was not allowed to appear for the examination, as he failed to clear his dues.

The students of electronics and communications department of the college however, are up in arms against the college management for what they term as injustice meted out to Ajay. They insist that the student's future should not have been jeopardized for the sake of such a small amount.